Renaissance of the Creed
by thompsongunner91
Summary: Lex thought he was only helping Desmond. Desmond thought they were done with the time traveling business. Both thought the Animus 2.0 was foolproof. Some upgrade. Same effect.
1. Chapter I

**Disclaimer: **Assassin's Creed belongs to Ubisoft and Jameel belongs to Kronoton.

**For all those fans of **_**New to the Creed, **_**thanks for coming to join for the next installment if you have. For all those new to the story, prepare for a ride.**

Italy, 2012

Two men walked along the floor of the airport. Backpacks were slung on their shoulders.

The one was tall, dark skinned. His black hair was combed back from his clean shaven face, blue eyes staring brightly from it. He was dressed in a green army jacket, red T-shirt, and jeans, high topped black combat boots covered by them to the ankles.

The other was almost a dwarf by comparison. A dust-colored jacket hung around his shoulders over a black Bob Marley T-shirt, loose jeans over beaten up Vans. They stopped in front of one of the men seated at the cafe in the airport lounge.

The man had a spiky head of red hair, his brown eyes flitting over lines of text behind black-framed glasses. He wore a gray sweater-vest, a white, collared shirt under it, and black slacks with brown shoes. A wristwatch was strapped to his left arm.

"Hello, Guy Fawkes," said the tall man. The man snapped his head up from his work.

"You're Shadow Thief?" he asked, voice bearing a heavy British accent. He looked toward the other male. "Who's this then?"

"I'm a white-nosed Arab ninja," was the response.

"You're a loony," was Guy Fawkes' immediate reply. Standing, he said, "Well, come along. Work to do, places to go. How d'you Arabs say it?"

"_Yallah._" The dark eyes stared through the smudged lenses at the unison answer.

They were brought to a van parked outside and climbed inside. Guy Fawkes started the van and headed off, grasping at the steering wheel until his knuckles were white. Releasing, then grasping again.

"So, what're your names really?"

"Yours first."

"Shaun Hastings. Tactical support and historian. Yourselves?"

"Jameel."

"What, no last name?" Silence. "What about you, numptynuts?"

"Lex."

"Do you have a last name, or what?" Silence. "Bloody hell. So, what're you two to each other? Just Assassins?"

"No, not just Assassins," said Jameel. Shaun took a left and headed down the road into the downtown area.

"Really? And what's that mean, hmm? A little Master-Apprentice thing going on? Well, young padawan, what do you say?"

"I don't think Anakin Skywalker ever banged Obi Wan." The two passengers were thrust forward against the seatbelts as Shaun slammed on the brakes, nearly rear-ending the stopped car in front of him.

"Right," Shaun whispered and began driving again.

X x X

The two entered the building with Shaun and walked through what looked very much like a warehouse. Moving up a ramp, they found the top floor was turned into a flat. Not unusual. Inside one of the rooms, however, was a bright orange and white chair, connected by wires to a computer. A woman with black hair was seated at the computer station nearest it, fingers flying over the keyboard, bobbing her head to the music on her headphones.

"That's the resident child of the operation," muttered Shaun. "Hello!" The woman glanced up from her work, pulling down the headphones. "We have guests."

"Oh, hi." The woman came over to them and shook their hands. "Rebecca Crane. I keep Baby running in our little operation."

"Baby?" asked Jameel. "Jameel."

"Baby. The Animus 2.0." She pointed to the orange chair with her thumb before shaking Lex's hand. "Who're you, short stuff?"

"Lex." The young man frowned at the jibe, but brushed it off. Shaun returned to his station. "So, what all're you guys doing here so far?"

"We're waiting for one of our contacts to come here. A bit of a rescue mission," mumbled Shaun. "Well, go and find a seat, gents, we've got a lot of work to get done." Jameel went to the back of the room, up the short flight of steps to one of the beds that laid there to rid himself of a few hours' jet lag.

Lex looked around the room for a few seconds before moving to Shaun's side and looking at the maps and diagrams and pictures there. Each had a tack pinning a string to it, connecting it to another part of the mess that seemed to make a confusing sort of sense.

"So, is all this..." He motioned to the vast array of stuff. "Historical or tactical or which part?"

"Tactical." Shaun placed a finger on a map of the world above his head without looking up from the screen. "Where all our members are at this time."

"What about the historical part?" Shaun placed his finger on the bigger half of the mess with pictures of people and maps, charts, and diagrams. Lex lifted up a page. "Isn't this..." He snapped his fingers. "Oh, God, what's his name? He has a video game all to himself, I read his books once..."

"You read _The Divine Comedy_?" Shaun immediately looked up. "Well, I suppose you're not a complete loony. There's a brain in there after all."

"And you have all your fingers." Lex leaned against the wall.

"Don't lean, please. And yes, I do. We quit that after a while."

"So, your parents were Assassins or what?"

"No, actually. I—" Shaun stopped as the door below opened. Jameel sat up. Lex tensed as voices and footsteps came from below, one familiar and one unfamiliar. A blonde haired woman in a white, form-fitting sleeveless shirt and jeans came up into the room, followed by a dark skinned, buzz cut man in a white hoodie and jeans.

Lex's eyes widened at seeing the woman from the Abstergo building before he grinned at Desmond. The bartender stopped, jaw dropping open.

"Dessy!"

"Keep him away from me!" Desmond threw himself behind the woman.

"Oh, c'mon! I've been in here for a good few minutes and nothing's happened." Lex went over to Baby and put a hand on the back of the seat. "See? Nothing happens."

"Hello, Desmond." The barkeep looked up from eyeing Lex suspiciously toward the familiar voice. His mouth fell open. Jameel smirked. "Where's your haystack?"

"Jameel?" The man worked his mouth. "Jameel? Jameel, what the hell are you still doing alive?"

"It's a long, complicated story, Desmond, which I'm sure you won't believe even after we explain it to you."

"Pieces of Eden doing their weird, magical thing," Lex summarized.

"Yeah... Lucy, did you know these guys would be here?" Desmond asked the woman. Lucy shook her head and folded her arms, saying, "Shaun. Becca. Explain."

"I asked them to come. Thought we could use some help," Shaun admitted. "Y'know, stealing a very valuable asset from the Templars about where the Pieces are located, running for your lives..."

Lucy shook her head and walked to her desk, leaving Desmond to get acquainted with the others. Lex leaned his arms on the chair and watched the interactions. Shaun was the first to get up and introduce himself briefly, then return to his work. Desmond followed him and talked a little until Shaun snapped at him that he was busy. He went to Rebecca next and talked until she took motioned for him to leave her alone, pulling up her headphones again. Finally, he went to Lucy and thanked her for her help. She muttered something Lex couldn't hear and Desmond finally came to Baby.

"I don't want any more Back to the Future shit," he stated. Lex shrugged and patted Baby's side.

"Hey, nothing's happened so far. I don't think it will again." Desmond looked at him dubiously before Lex gave up and leaned up again, hands in his pockets. The barkeep sat down as Rebecca stood and came to him, placing a visor like that of a virtual reality game over his eyes before returning to the computer.

"Starting up now," she said. Desmond grasped the armrests as the screen began to load. Jameel sat up again as Shaun and Lucy leaped to their feet, sparks flying around the Animus. Rebecca threw herself back from the computer as a blinding light came from it. The Assassins covered their eyes.

When they opened them and had blinked the spots away from their vision, the two men were gone.

Jameel sat down on the bed again, lying back, his head pounding. He shut his eyes, intent on sleeping until it was worn off.

Shaun was the first of the new Assassins to react, screaming, "What in Sodding Hell's name just happened here?"

**And so it begins again. You guys read, I'll write. Lots of love for all the fans.**


	2. Chapter II

**Disclaimer: **Ubisoft owns its characters and story and Jameel is Kronoton's.

**Thanks for Nelly and Tobi for the reviews and Renka for favoriting. :3**

Venice, Italy

1487

Another lazy day in Venice.

People scampered around, doing what their everyday lives told them to do. Children played in the streets and guards patrolled the area. This particular Assassin had spent the day snoozing in a cart full of hay after a night of exploration and money gathering.

Not very threatening being half-buried in golden horse feed. Nobody seemed to care, or notice. Not even the horse that was hitched up to it minded the extra weight, plodding along where it was led once its owner returned and began to have it move along. The Assassin was jostled by a rut as the cart moved through the narrow streets, vaulting out of the moving bed and tumbling to the ground. His back would be sore later, but he was awake now.

Well, now that he was, what to do?

Instead of thinking about it, he wandered about, and made his way to the marketplace. Reaching over, he took a handful of olives from one of the vendors whose back was turned and slipped a coin in their place, heading toward the streets once more, munching happily on the little fruits.

Where was he going? He didn't care where.

The noise caught his attention-the sound of a yell, followed by the ripping of cloth and the cracking of wood, as well as the squashing or rolling of fruit. Turning, he saw guards advancing on the fruit merchant's destroyed shop. Spitting one of the olive pits into his hand, he tossed it at the nearest guard. Another few pits off their thick skulls from various directions and the guards were soon distracted, milling about in search of the culprit.

He had in the crowd, pretending to be invested in a fish monger's stall. The Assassin wanted to laugh; this was fun. When the guards finally spotted him, given away his compulsion to eat the rest of the olives, they approached with stern ferocity fixed on their faces.

"What do you think you're doing, tossing pits at us? Call it a game, _stronzo_?" demanded the lead guard.

"No, _messere_. Only, I feel it's inappropriate for so many of you to come investigate some poor idiot falling out of a window onto a fruit stand." The guard advanced, cursing him under his breath as he grasped his arm. Wrong move. The men jumped back as their companion sank to the cobbles, dead. They looked about and spotted the man scrambling to the roofs.

"There! After him!"

The Assassin broke into a dead sprint across the rooftops, the high walls and uneven terrain navigated easily by the skilled free runner. Some rooftop guards saw him, but they were shoved off the building they stood on. Served them right for being too close to the edge! Finding a haystack below not attached to a horse, he lunged for it and dove right in. The guards began their descent, but before they could make their way to the haystack, their quarry had already left it, slipping down an alley and making his way back to the market.

X x X

The spawn of Altair swore revenge on par with what the Sparrow had done to him. Possibly along the lines of manually ripping off some body part and forcing it down the younger man's throat. But that would wait for later when imminent peril wasn't looming.

Lex staggered as Desmond grabbed him by the scruff and hauled him over to the nearest building's roof.

"Get on the roof, get on the roof, get on the roof!" the man snarled, all but tossing the smaller Assassin onto the tiled Venetian roofs as he hoisted himself up. The two ran as best they could-they slipped on a few wet tiles-until a flatter roof was found and they started at the sight of an archer. The archer stared back at them before raising his bow.

"Get down. Now," said the man. The two held up their hands and backed to the edge of the roof.

"Lex."

"Yes?"

"I'm going to kill you." They spun and jumped. The Eagle caught a lantern as the Sparrow caught his legs, spinning them toward a flat trellis to which vines clung. Lex ran up against the vertical piece of trellis as Desmond landed on the flooring. The two climbed down into the streets. "What the hell do we do now?"

"Well," Lex said softly, looking around them at the people and their clothing, "I think we should get some cloaks."

"Oh, yeah, genius? Well, riddle me this: how are we going to get some coin?" Desmond growled. "What're we going to do, shake our hips?"

"I was thinking more of making our fingers sticky." With that, Lex set off into the crowd with Desmond, beginning to pick pockets. The two stopped as they saw two men shed their cloaks and draw their swords, the crowd parting on either side of them. Making their way through the crowd, they took up the cloaks and put them on, drawing up the hoods. The men soon enough dropped their swords and began swearing at one another, then throwing punches. The crowd surged forward, separating the two Assassins.

Desmond staggered back against a stall, grabbing a purse that had fallen to the ground in the scuffle and tying it to his belt. On the other side, Lex pressed himself back into a side alley. He blinked as another hooded, cloaked man went by him, reaching out automatically for his bulging purse.

The Assassin spun as he felt his purse tugged, a murderous look coming to eyes, face unreadable as he unsheathed his hidden blade to warn the intruder to back off and stay away. Still on edge from the guard chase, he was willing with no qualms to give the pickpocket the choice to flee or die.

The would-be pickpocket brought his arms up as the man turned, catching his blade arm. He brought his leg behind the man's, shoving him back against the wall and moving quickly away, fists clenched.

The wind was promptly knocked out of him as he hit the wall, eyes wide beneath the hood of his clothes. Where had he seen that before? _Those moves... Is it...? No. It couldn't be. I saw him go back! That was centuries ago!_

He managed to find his voice.

"Sparrow?"

"Red Owl? What're you doing here?" Stupid question, he realized, as soon as it had come out of his mouth. Jameel was here because...

"I've been around for too long." Jameel took him by the shoulders, gripping him tightly. "I saw you disappear!" He looked him over, as if to see if he had everything that he'd had in 1191. "How...but...when...?" Lex was surprised at Jameel stuttering like a shy child. The man couldn't seem to shape sentence, or words. For Jameel, his day had been made completely. It blew him off his feet that Lex stood before him. He had never expected the Sparrow to come back, much less in the city where they stood.

"When? Today. How? Same way as before. Desmond's here too," Lex answered. "You're sure you're gonna be okay?" He reached over and touched his arm, then his face.

Jameel finally stopped working his mouth when Lex touched him. All he could do was nod stupidly until his brain pieced itself back together again. His stupefied look immediately changed to dread.

"It isn't safe." Lex began to roll his eyes. "Really, it isn't. These streets are just as bad, if not worse, than long ago. Alert Desmond and find a place to hide." Lex was about to leave the alley when they heard the clanking of armor. Jameel pulled Lex deeper into the alley just in time for a tall man wearing armor to walk by carrying a huge halberd.

At first, he seemed a normal heavy guard, but the Journeyman took a second look. It was Templar armor, he realized, the cross emblazoned on the front, but what really stood out were the man's paldrons and helmet. They were shaped like rhino heads, the horns sharpened to deadly points. Lex looked at him, eyes wide. "Kadin's descendant. One of them," Jameel hissed under his breath. "He has money. He has hidden guards as well." Jameel knelt, holding Lex still, clutching his face between trembling hands.

"Get going. Find Desmond. And by Allah, do not let him see you! Be invisible as the wind."

Lex nodded once and peered out of the alleyway once the Rhino had gone by. He glanced back at Jameel before hurrying off, hopping up the nearest wall and padding off in the direction he'd last seen Desmond. He gagged and covered his nose, the smell of the nearby tannery choking his senses as he dropped to the street, hood up once more.

Spotting the man standing and watching a minstrel, he made his way over and tapped his arm.

"Trouble."

Desmond didn't look away from the lutinist as he asked, "Where's the nearest hay bale?"

**Stronzo = asshole**

**Messere = sir/mister**

**Thanks for the two comments already received, peeps. :3 You keep reading, and I'll keep writing.** **Also, beat my record of two chapters per week. Cranked out four for you all to enjoy. Keep it up. You might get a fiver out of me.**


	3. Chapter III

**Disclaimer: **AC belongs to Ubisoft and Jameel, Metal Lion, and Ravenwatch belongs to Kronoton.

**Thanks to Nelly and Badr for the comments. Viva la Coal Tit.**

Venice, Italy  
1487

Jameel slipped by the roof guards unnoticed as they moved down the buildings to let up the men for the evening shift, moving into the more unsavory docks district. There were housed the thieves' and courtesans' guilds, but being such, it was rather unlikely that the Templars would even consider patrolling the area. Jameel began to relax, feeling himself safe as he topped the rise of a church's roof.

His hopes were dashed as a double-bladed axe nearly severed his head from his shoulders. He rolled away just in time, sliding down to the eaves of the roof. A few black hairs clung to the axe blade, which were brushed away by a gauntleted hand. The man was wearing the same kind of armor as the rhino-headed man, except this set was stylized with lions' heads fixed in eternal roars. A tremor ran up the Red Owl's spine. _God in Heaven, not this maniac again._

The Lion turned to face him and growled a laugh behind his mask.

"So, we meet again, Red Owl. More's the pity I didn't have your head as my trophy the last time." Jameel tensed at the words. He had nearly been carved clean in half three nights after his arrival in Venice. After that narrow escape, he'd been hounded throughout the city.

_How could I be so stupid as to forget...?_ The thought went unfinished as he dodged backward, leaping over the axe and having to tuck his legs up beneath him to avoid them being cleaved away before he fled the area, just barely dodging another quick swing as it came from not behind but before him, the Lion having doubled around and hidden behind a wall of a building being refurbished, standing upon one of the builders' scaffolds. Jameel doubled his stride as he raced across the rooftops, but no matter how hard he ran the Lion was nearly within a bound of clipping his heels with the toes of his boots. "Come back here and face your death, coward!"

Jameel dropped from the roofs and dashed along one of the buildings with the heaviest construction, knocking over crates, guards, and whatever else came to hand to try and stall the Templar chasing him. The obstacles were mere nuisances to the Lion, who either jumped over them, rolled under them, or literally bashed straight through. Jameel took to the rooftops once more and felt the breeze clip by just inches from his spine as the axe came down toward his back.

Turning sharply to his left, the Red Owl threw himself out into the air before diving into one of the canals. The axe-swinging maniac paused atop the roof, looking down at the water, before laughing and walking away.

X x X

Lex looked out of the doors he and Desmond had taken shelter in for the hundredth time that second. Desmond had had it.

"What the hell are you looking for, pursuit?" he snapped, his voice echoing unnervingly as it shattered the quiet atmosphere inside the place. The Sparrow rounded a glare on him that made him take an involuntary step back.

"He's here."

"Who—" A ton of mental bricks cascaded onto the bartender. "You mean...?" A nod. The elder man sighed. "He'll be fine." Lex lifted his eyes and looked skyward. "What're you looking for now, a plane?"

"For it to start raining buffalo chicken wings. I could've sworn you said Jameel'll be fine."

X x X

Jameel resurfaced from the water after swimming a good way down the canal, disgruntled and pissed off. _That was the third jump into the canal this week because of that maniac._ He stood and began to walk toward where he'd last seen Lex go. Wandering around, looking for the others, wet and annoyed, he occasionally wrung out his robes as his thoughts revolved around the Templar. The axe was heavy, very sharp, and swung with deadly accuracy and speed. Such speed! Templars should not be that quick! It scared him, he realized, and grew angrier because of the realization.

He didn't have time for fear. Not now. He approached the chapel, spotting the two familiar faces from afar.

The two Assassins looked up at the Red Owl as he made his way to the chapel. During the wait, Desmond had managed to go and get them a few weapons: a rapier and dagger each. Now, however much prudence Jameel's dour features seemed to entail, neither could keep back the question, "Why are you wet and smelling like shit?"

Desmond held open the door for Jameel as Lex moved back to allow Jameel inside.

"This is the third time I've had to take a dip into that canal no thanks to that lion-headed _Templar_!" The word was spat like a curse, literally so. A wad of spittle landed on the marble floor of the chapel. With a sneer, the Master Assassin added, "I will admit, he's good with an axe. He's going to be an exceptionally hard one to kill."

"Is there any way to get that reek off you?" Desmond wondered. Jameel shrugged. He'd failed to take note of the smell the canal put on him. He was almost used to the putrescence of Europe and its cities with special sections of building for pedestrians to walk under so as not to be splattered so very much by chamber pots being emptied into the streets below, or in Venice's case into the canals to be swept out to sea. It did not stop disgusting him—he craved a bath so much his skin nearly crawled with the yearning; he had almost truly given his left testicle for access to a rich Venetian's mansion once just to verify if he had a room with a tub for bathing—but he could live with it for as long as need be. He wrung out more of his robes.

"Nice to see you again as well, Desmond." The Master Assassin turned and advanced deeper into the chapel, stopping long enough to draw the two to him in the shadow of the confessional. "At least Altair didn't have to do this... Lucky bastard..."

"Didn't Damas have a canal?" Lex questioned.

"No one dumped their shit into it," Jameel retorted sharply, uncaring at the fact he swore in a church, but drawing his lips into a line when he saw the younger man flinch. He put a hand on his shoulder.

"So, besides the crazy animal-themed Templars, anything else we should know about?"

"I have another ancestor in this time," Desmond put in. The two looked at him. "Audi...Audi something."

"The _Das Auto_ people?"

"No, Audi...Auditor..."

"Auditore?" Jameel lifted a brow and cackled. "You're talking about Ezio Auditore? _Ya Allah..._" The man covered his eyes and shook his head for a moment before composing himself. "I've been observing the events happening in and around the city lately. Sometimes that womanizer gets involved." Jameel tested his hidden blade. Satisfied that it was in good condition after the dip in the canal, he wanted to make sure it wouldn't break. After sheathing it, he returned to wringing out his robes.

The two time travelers watched the blade flicker in and out, hardly flinching. After a moment, Desmond ventured, "Don't suppose you'll give _us_ a place to hole up until _we_ can rent a hotel room or whatever, will you, Jameel?" The Red Owl looked up at the barkeep slowly.

"What, Desmond, do you think I'd leave you at the mercy of an Italian haystack at a time like this? Not even your fine Arabic skills would woo one of them to you." A smirk curled his lip on one side. "I'm not so heartless as to not allow for the laws of hospitality, but I think you both should know I'm currently homeless."

Jameel shed his hood a moment in order to squeeze it dry as well. The foul smelling liquid had pooled by now into a vast puddle around his boots. _Ick. They really need to clean those canals. It's a wonder anyone is alive in this city at all, much less the continent. Plagues springing up left and right..._ "I can only steal so much money and still allow others to live in their homes unmolested. We no longer have Bureaus here to provide us with ensured safety. In this time, we have few allies and fewer safe houses. I won't impose upon them unless I must."

Desmond threw his arms up and shook his head. "All right. Well, can we go to wherever you've been staying then? I kind of want to get this trip over with as soon as possible."

Jameel eyed Desmond coldly before walking toward the door.

"Fine. I'll show you where I'm currently staying." He paused at the doorway and fixed the man with his familiar stare. "You won't like it." The three left the chapel, the two following the older immortal as he led them back toward the seedier part of town he'd headed for earlier that day.

After several twists and turns, they came to a small hovel built near one of the bridges that spanned the canals. It was a hastily constructed, sad little abode, listing drunkenly to one side of its own accord, more like an attempt to make a tent from sticks alone with cloth as an afterthought than anything stable. Jameel slipped inside. It was no Bedouin tent, but it was built with what he had and could be easily taken apart and put up again. So what if it was a little lopsided? He was no Da Vinci.

The time travelers followed him into the structure and made themselves as at home as possible. Desmond sighed and gave a half-hearted glare at Lex before flopping down onto his back.

"Wake me up if anyone needs to die. Including him." Lex shifted his eyes toward the Owl as Desmond began to snore.

"So, how was your day besides all the attempted murder and mayhem?"

"Boring. Been sleeping most of the day." Jameel stood and moved out of the tent, poking his head back in. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get the canal stink out of my skin." With that, he disappeared.

X x X

Desmond awoke to the sound of a bell tolling the hour somewhere. He didn't bother to count the time. Jameel sat at the entrance to the tent, staring out through the flap. The barkeep crawled forward and crouched next to him.

"Go lay down, man." The next moment his hands were held up, the hidden blade pressing against his Adam's apple. Jameel's wide eyes blinked a few times before he relaxed, the blade retracting. After a minute, he looked at the floor and moved to the back of the poorly constructed home.

Settling with his back to Desmond, he put an arm around Lex, who'd fallen asleep several hours earlier.

"Yeesh," came from the bartender as he sighed, unclenching his jaw. If he wasn't getting tossed back in time, he was almost being stabbed by some annoying kid's boyfriend. _My chances for survival in this crazy ass place are looking so much better now._

X x X

The silhouette of the lion-headed Templar revealed itself in the moonlight. The young Journeyman below jolted at the sight of it after having seen nothing for hours but the canal and the unchanging roofs since he relieved Desmond's shift. He wasn't the only one who received a scare. One of the night watchmen on the roof nearly jumped into the canal as the Lion came upon him to make sure he was awake.

Another man was not so lucky, as the Sparrow observed. He'd dozed off sometime around one in the morning. The Lion hefted the axe over his shoulder. Lex clamped both his hands over his mouth to keep from making a noise, breath quickening as the axe rose and fell several more times. Swallowing the vomit that had risen up into his mouth, he shuddered as three more silhouettes followed after the Lion.

Bows. Beaks. Feathers. Them.

Lex's eyes widened as he looked at the archers. _Oh, hell no..._ A fourth archer had appeared. He was looking around, bow nocked but held loose in his grip. The white beak, starkly bright in the moonlight, turned toward the hovel. By that time, he'd drawn the string back to his ear, or where the ear might have been had it been visible.

The Journeyman's fingers trembled as he reached for the dagger at his belt. A hand clasped his suddenly, another covering his mouth to stifle the gasp that escaped it. Jameel held the Sparrow fast, his light breathing impossibly loud in his ear. After a few moments, the archer moved on. Jameel released him. Lex drew a long breath, shuddering.

Desmond sat up and looked between them. The night had become quiet. Everything was too quiet. The Eagle found himself wishing one of the guards would fart.

An abrupt clang and the leonine face on the helmet being shoved through the tent flap sundered the silence.

"_Guardate cosa ho tróvate! Vieni a giocare con il Leone Metal!_"

The time travelers screamed in surprise, the Red Owl flinching back from the face, eyes wide.

The Assassins threw themselves back as the Lion rose up and threw the cloth of the tent off himself, sticks tumbling everywhichway. Jameel threw himself forward, attempting to sink his blade into the Templar's throat. Instead of defending as he'd expected, the Lion charged, ramming his paldron-covered shoulder into Jameel's chest. The Master Assassin gagged as he was knocked back, the wind taken out of him, grasping at the rail of the balcony so as not to fall into the canal beyond.

The two others lunged forward with their swords drawn. Desmond was forced to leap straight up as the axe came for his legs, only for it to change direction and sweep upward toward Lex's head. The Journeyman gagged as he was yanked backward by the hood. "_Morire, Assassini!_"

_I understood that!_ Lex thought, just barely missing having his arm taken from his body as he was forced to hop over the rail and balance between the struts of the balustrade. The swings were an unpredictable mess, at once almost deadly accurate then the next sailing far wide. The Lion had missed Desmond completely on the backswing as he turned to strike at him. The Assassins scurried to the bridge.

Jameel drew his sword and swung at him. The Lion immediately charged forward and swung at him with the axe. Lex lunged for his back. The Templar turned again, planting his foot into the small Assassin's chest, sending him tumbling into the water of the canal. Desmond rushed forward as he heard strings being pulled taut behind him, shouldering by the Templar and snagging Jameel by the belt. _Time to go!_

"Run!" Desmond yelled as Jameel struggled to get back the way they'd come. The Master Assassin staggered as he was pulled sharply from behind, turning and finding the soaked Journeyman there. The two hauled him up out of the canal he'd swum to and hurried along. The Assassins moved onto the roofs.

Lex slid along behind Desmond, almost falling when a couple of tiles shifted under his weight and shattered on the ground below in a terracotta shower. Staggering up, he was forced to leap away from the axe swinging toward his middle as the Lion landed on the roof.

"You hit like a girl!" The Lion stopped at the insult, staring at Jameel. Jameel fled as the Templar came after him. Jameel ran back toward the canal as if an entire pride of lions was after him. He skidded to a stop at the edge of the roof. "You look like a monkey's ass!" The Templar roared, the sound echoing out over the city through the mask, and charged down at him. Jameel tensed, waiting, then threw himself to the side. The Lion was forced to stagger and flail, halting his headlong charge just at the edge of the roof. With a great shove, Jameel sent him over the edge and into the canal below.

"Heh." He turned, prepared to return to the others, only to be faced with several arrows, white beaks glowing ethereally in the moonlight.

Caught.

Jameel closed his eyes, preparing to risk the drop into the Metal Lion's possibly waiting claws.

Two tiles flew out of the darkness and cracked against skulls. One of the Crows fell to his knees, stunned, the other out cold, sliding backward off the roof. Jameel began to run as the Crows took a moment to look at time travelers. Pain lanced into his side, causing him to misstep, the roof leaving him. He grasped the edge of the roof as the two Assassins threw another pair of tiles. A lucky one struck the target in the throat. The other sailed wide.

Desmond and Lex vaulted over the roofs as two of the remaining archers chased after them, another two racing off to somewhere. Jameel watched them fly before dragging himself laboriously onto the roof. He froze as the last archer came into sight, holding a bomb in his grip. The bomb was thrown. The Master Assassin ducked his head, but only smoke poured out of the bomb. He covered his mouth quickly with his sleeve, coughing heavily.

Jameel sank down onto the roof, struggling to focus as a black shape moved toward him through the haze before his vision blackened completely.

Lex knelt down beside the injured man, having doubled back after separating from Desmond. Dragging him up, he looked at Jameel's injured side in the light. The arrow had pierced his leather armor easily as a keen blade; a black stream of blood was already staining his hand as he pressed his hand to his side.

_Don't let the organs be punctured, don't let the organs be punctured,_ he prayed silently. _Especially the spleen._ The Sparrow barely spared Desmond his hearing as the man squished onto the roof.

"Anything I can do?" asked the Eagle.

"Don't touch Jameel's wound." He broke off the shaft where it stuck through the armor. Cutting away the section of the armor with the dagger, he made a thin incision on either side of the arrow shaft about a half inch. Breathing heavily, eyes hurting with the strain of focusing so heavily on one point, he pulled the arrow free and stuffed it into his belt. "Get the tent cloth and rip me a square." Taking the cloth from Desmond once he returned, he pressed it to the wound hard as he was able. "We're gonna need disinfectant and bandages."

"Well, obviously," the other man hissed. "And where're we gonna get those, the fucking Wal-mart?"

"Desmond, get some strong wine, needle, and thread. Get them and get them fast, or I'll yank your sac off like a paper towel."

The Eagle set off as Lex began to carry Jameel down to the ruins of the tent.

Desmond hurried down the street, searching for a tavern.

"_Ti sei perso?_" The man spun at the voice. He stared at a small, tan young man and said, "What?"

"Are you lost?" He blinked, even more confused at the English with a Spanish accent.

"I need help. I need wine, needle, and thread!" The young man took down his pack from his back and handed over a flask, producing needle and thread from a pocket in his shirt.

"Here, take them. Go now!" Desmond frowned and hurried on back toward Lex. He grabbed a torch from one of the market stalls as he ran by. The two worked hurriedly to staunch the bleeding and bind the wound, knotting it as tightly as possible.

"What now?"

"We gotta move someplace else."

The two gathered the dismantled hovel and made it into rough stretcher. Lex took a glance at the sky. The moon was almost touching the horizon. Gathering up a pole in each hand, they hurried through the streets toward the docks. As they moved, Jameel began to twitch.

They set up the tent again in the back of the nearest alley and moved inside with the man. Jameel continued to twitch as they set up. When he was taken inside and set down, the Assassin immediately curled into a ball and began to sob brokenly, grasping at his head and burying his face into his arms in the same motion, screaming.

Memories he'd long since hoped to forget came to the surface like broken edges of a jagged mirror, piercing him, cutting his fingers as they fell into a patchwork mosaic of horrors.

_Kadin's betrayal... Their home aflame... Their parents burning... Their souls denied rest..._

His brother Assassins being crushed beneath the same man's weapon at the Battle of Hattin...

His near death experiences against Ravenwatch, so many over the years...

The killings...so many killings...so many men...the light fading from their eyes beneath his very hand, the hidden blade in their throats...

The man flailed suddenly as he felt himself lifted, arms snaking out automatically. He froze, blood turning to ice. Lex swallowed, the tip of the blade just touching the skin over his jugular. The steel slid back beneath the bracer as another sob wracked the taller man's frame. He clutched onto the other, rocking in his hold, head burrowed down into his chest, mumbling in a garbled mash of Arabic and Italian.

"Shh." Lex ran a hand through his hair. "Shh." He glanced over at Desmond. The man was steadfastly gazing out to sea. The Journeyman settled their heads together until the sobbing had ceased. Jameel breathed evenly, but for the shuddering that spasmed through each muscle as if a chill pervaded his body. Lex looked out toward the growing light spilling through the tent flap and sighed, shutting his eyes to catch a few minutes' rest. As dawn's first rays broke over the horizon properly, Jameel went slack, breathing the heavy breaths of deep sleep.

Desmond looked over briefly as he heard Lex topple to one side, soon enough returning his gaze to the bright orange and white sea.

**Das Auto = the trademarked tagline of Audi automobiles, German, literally "The car"**

**Ya Allah = Oh God**

**Guardate cosa ho tróvate! Vieni a giocare con il Leone Metal! ****= Look what I've found! Come play with the Metal Lion!**

**Morire, Assassini! = Die, Assassins!**

**Ti sei perso? = Are you lost?**

**If there are any native speakers of Arabic or Italian out there that read this, please tell me if I've botched something in your language. That's not my intent and I'm a novice at both stuck using Google Translate, so any changes or advice would be greatly appreciated. As always, you keep reading, I'll keep writing.**


	4. Chapter IV

**Disclaimer: **Ubisoft owns AC and its charas and Jameel, the Animal Trio, and the Crows belong to Kronoton. Amir belongs to Badr.

**Thanks for the reviews, Tobi and Nelly. :3**

Italy  
2012

The bed creaked as Shaun took a seat on it. Rebecca and Lucy were in the other room, talking in hurried, low tones. On the bed, Jameel lay in a cold sweat, breathing quickly.

Reaching over, the Brit put a hand on the Master Assassins shoulder. The Syrian man opened bleary blue eyes and looked at him, brows pinched tightly over his nose.

"You going to be all right, mate?" Jameel looked away, closing his eyes again. "...What the hell's happened to them, Jameel? I don't think you're ignorant in all this." The man reached back and pulled up the hood of his jacket until it was over his eyes.

"Just let me go back to sleep."

Venice, Italy  
1484

_The man stood in the moonlight, staring out over the Venetian port. The woman moved up beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her. Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun, the only giveaway of her position the emerald cloak she wore over black-dyed robes._

"What have you been up to all night, my prince of the night?" she asked. He was silent, staring out toward the dark western sky. "Have you sat looking toward the rest of Italy the whole night?"

The man made no reply, but moved away from her hand to the edge of the roof. His white robes shone in the moonlight. "You know of my feelings for you," she added. His hood dipped, arms folding over his chest. "I fight for only one thing in this life and that is for you."

"Your life is wasted on a hopeless cause," said the dark-skinned man. He disappeared the next moment, dropping into the street below. The woman watched him go, shaking her head.

_"No, you are wrong," she said to herself. "The best thing in the world to my life is a hopeless cause, or do you not realize this?"_

Venice, Italy  
1487

Her reverie ended as she focused on the makeshift structure the men had set up below. She had had eyes on the two since the one had fallen into the fruit vendor's stand, simply a bystander in the crowd. She had been as surprised as anyone to see the market suddenly filled with chaos at some boys falling from the sky.

The rest of the people had shrugged it off as their imagination, thinking the young men had taken a tumble from the rooftops.

_Speaking of the rooftops..._ The sound of chain mail shifting alerted her to the archer coming upon her. She swore violently before dropping down and hiding in the shadows of the alleyway. When the archer passed, giving up his search after a few minutes of futility, she eased her way into the growing light of the morning and looked at the tent.

Seeing the man sitting inside, she couldn't help but blurt, "Auditore?" The man looked up at her and she saw then that it wasn't him. His hair was close cropped near to his head and he had a bit of stubble showing around his jaw and chin.

"Why, no, actually," said the man in very poor Italian with an odd, heavy accent to his voice, a look on his face between weariness and the struggle to contain a stupid giggle. He didn't succeed in the latter. "I'm his great-great-great-great-grandson. Who're you?"

The woman smiled thinly at what she assumed was a poor jest and looked into the tent as she said, "A friend." An eyebrow rose at the sight of the tall, dark man curled up, his head on the lap of a little boy, who was bent double over him, also asleep. She shook her head.

As he looked at the woman, Desmond's brain finally realized a perfect opportunity when it poked its head into their tent. He sat up.

"Hey, do you have a hide out or a house or something around here? Because we need it." He gestured to the two sleepers and himself. "He's been shot and drugged, I've been forced into the canals more than I can count, and that little bastard is responsible. Can we please go there?" Grievances aside, the man was overjoyed to find another Assassin in the city. Shaking Lex awake, he gathered their things. "Get up. We're following her." Lex nodded mutely as the barkeep hurried after the woman. Taking Jameel's dead weight onto his back, he hoisted his legs up around his hips. Shrugging him up a little higher, he panted as he took up a stride after them.

"It's a treacherous journey," the woman was saying in an almost monotone, "and quite far away, but follow me and you'll be safe." She then looked over her shoulder at the one she deemed a little boy carrying the tall Assassin. "Be silent or we will have Templars on our tails in little more than the blink of an eye." She stopped at an intersection before hurrying along down the street, having let a troop of heavily armored guardsmen pass.

"Bitch," Lex whispered, hustling after the two and staggering as a carriage almost ran him over. "_Ehi, futtiti!_" he shouted after it. One of the men following the carriage dressed in livery stopped long enough to box him about the head until he staggered after the others. A soundless sigh escaped him as blood leaked freely down his face from his nose. No one seemed to care at the moment as he caught up to the woman and Desmond.

"Thanks, boy," she said harshly. "You just insulted a man from one of the most influential families in all Europe." Taking an extra few seconds to make sure none of the guards followed them, she continued to lead them on a winding route through the city so that neither of the time travelers knew which district of the city he was in now and the minute after.

"Way to go, asshat," Desmond muttered as they went.

"Quiet now," said their escort. "This is the most dangerous part of the journey." She stopped and watched a guard making his paces down toward the docks. When he paused to turn around, she was already in motion, driving her hidden blade into his diaphragm. The man gawked at her for a moment before the light faded from his eyes. She pushed him unceremoniously into the sea.

Face displaying no emotion still, she pointed to a corner where the street turned left. The two men looked at one another before heading off toward where she'd indicated, their guide following along afterward. They stopped at the end of an alley. Emblazoned on the wall was a Templar cross.

"You're not going to like this leg of the journey," said the woman, pushing the cross into the stone. The hidden passage opened and the stench that made the time travelers think something or some things plural had crawled into the passage and died various horrible, stinking deaths. The woman took in the look of abject horror on the little boy's face before gazing at the young man and finding his face a little white but his jaw clenched. Ushering the two inside, she closed the entrance behind them.

It was a long, wet journey, the water up to Desmond's thighs and almost to Lex's waist as they sloshed along. Lex dry heaved more than once; the ungodly stench made him wonder if this wasn't where the Golgothan shit-demon from _Dogma_ was created. Finally, they saw the flickering torchlight at the end of the water tunnel, mounting the staircase out of the water gratefully. Desmond was forced to catch Lex so that he didn't go under with his burden as his feet caught on the lowest steps beneath the surface of the water, a good fourth of the case.

Jolted, Jameel awoke. He was in an unfamiliar, dark place with someone else just as unfamiliar guiding them. _Well, if she's guiding both Lex and Sewage—er, Desmond—then it's good enough for me. Ugh...seriously, though,_ he thought, looking at the barkeep,_ that man will need a change of wardrobe soon...as will I. Damn canals..._

At the top of the stairs they found a long dining hall with an old, dusty oaken table set with food. On the far wall was an equally old, dusty, moth-eaten Templar flag. "Don't worry," said their guide. "No Templars have been here in years. When the headquarters flooded, it was abandoned." Walking to the table, she turned one of the chairs and sat, watching them enter the building with their comrade.

Lex looked back at Jameel as the man began to shift on his back.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" The two helped the immortal to sit as they, too, fell on their asses, Desmond with a squelch that actually echoed. At the sound, his face twisted into what amounted to an expression of indignant fury.

"All right!" he yelled and pulled the sodden, smelly clothing off, every inch of fabric gone in a matter of seconds, tossed angrily back into the water from which they'd just exited. "There! I'm happy now!" He sat back down and folded his arms, looking flatly at the two males and the female.

"Seriously, Desmond? I could've washed them for you..." Jameel laughed, the wound making its protests about the action known. "Heh... Still, that was funny." _Well, can't get the Nude Eagle's clothes now. Haha. Nude Eagle._ He wanted to laugh again, but his wound held him back.

Lex's eyes roved up and down before settling on Desmond's lap a moment too long for the barkeep's liking. _That's it?_ the Sparrow thought with a chuckle.

"So, lady, who are you anyway and why'd you help us?" Another round of bleeding started as the dried blood cracked when Lex spoke. Moving to one side of the room, he took a roll of bandage and returned to Jameel, beginning to check over his wound.

The woman ignored Lex and addressed Desmond, though she kept her eyes averted from him, "Clean clothes are in the cupboard at the end of the hall. Take what you need. There's an old bath in the back room."

The man stood to make his way there, but paused and looked at Jameel.

"You would've washed my clothes?"

"Yes, Desmond, I would have." As Desmond grinned, Jameel said, "Plus, I'm not afraid to stab you at any given time, so keep your quips about that to yourself. I'm not your wife."

When Desmond had left, the female deigned to speak to the little boy and said plainly, "Who I am isn't necessary knowledge at this moment. All you need to know is you are in big trouble if I decide to inform anyone of your little antics at the market this morning." She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the child who was bandaging the dark man's middle.

Lex dropped the roll and looked at the woman. His jaw worked as he glared at her. Retrieving the roll, he tore off the excess and began to tie a knot in the bandage. While Lex was tying off the wrapping, Jameel gave his own glare to the woman. Even if she did save them from any potential patrols by one of the animal Templars, especially Chop Happy, her attitude wasn't necessary.

"Indeed, I would like to know as well. Who are you really?" His response was a laugh. Lex bristled at the laughter. The sound of tearing cloth startled him out of his brief spurt of anger to acknowledge that he was killing the remaining bandages on the roll. He set it aside on the table.

"What, Jameel, you don't recognize me? I'm ashamed with you." Confusion flashed across Jameel's face. The woman stood and moved to a wardrobe that stood to one side of the room, drawing from it a cloak of emerald velvet and clipping it on over her black Assassin robes. Reaching up to her flowing, curly black hair, she pinned it back from her face with a fist, taking a proud, superior stance, head held high, eyes looking down her nose at them. Desmond lifted a brow as he returned from the back rooms, fully dressed in white robes, strapping a hidden blade bracer to his left arm.

Realization replaced the confusion upon Jameel's face when she donned the cloak. _Of course, she always wore that cloak during missions._ He sighed softly at her posturing. _How arrogant._

The Red Owl shook his head. "Ah, you. I didn't recognize you without that green cloak. You always wore it during every mission you took, or is my memory playing me false? I remember you having it on whenever we met." She nodded. "Thank you for saving us from another potential patrol threat."

She laughed again and returned the cloak to its resting place. Desmond tested the hidden blade's mechanism, letting it spring forward before retracting it. Lex looked between Jameel and the woman before standing.

"Okay, I've had it with this mysterious bullshit. Who the hell are you? What is your name? How do you two know each other?" he asked.

"Her name is Serenity Cacciatore," said Jameel. Serenity looked over Lex's head toward Desmond.

"The training room is in the back, if you need to take your energy out on something." Moving to the table, she plated some food for herself and the seated Master Assassin. Placing one of the plates beside Jameel, she sat and began to eat herself. "Help yourselves to the food. You won't find it easy, by the way, to get out of here. It's too dangerous outside with those Templars running amok."

The two took some salami and a few grapes for themselves, eating the food quickly before moving a little ways to do their training in the room. Lex went to the back room and returned in robes. Metal soon clashed against metal, the two fighting with their hidden blades.

Jameel ate in silence. The food wasn't tasty, but it was food. Finished, he watched Desmond and Lex spar. _It's been a long time since I've seen something like this. A long time..._ He ran a hand through his hair. Serenity watched Jameel as she, too, finished her meal. She followed his gaze to the two men. The one she'd mistaken for Ezio fought well, keeping the little boy moving.

The boy, she surmised, couldn't have been more than twelve or thirteen from his height and fresh face. His inexperience showed; what strikes he made were lucky at best to her eyes. After a time, the fighting slowed to a halt. Bruised a little more than before, the two found seats again.

"What now?" they asked almost as one, sheathing their weapons. Jameel gave them a tired glare.

"I've been shot, drugged, and dragged through sewage by you two since you came here, do you remember? It would be best if we bathed and got some sleep. Then we can take a walk through Venice. It's time you two became familiar with the city and what it has to offer." He stood and wobbled. Lex was on his feet in the next second, reaching to steady him. Jameel put a hand on his shoulder, holding him back. The two looked at one another for a long moment before Jameel continued giving instructions, "Stay low and away from any patrols. I'll need to stay here, lest I risk taking a dip in another of those canals."

The two men headed back to the bath as Desmond found a place to sleep in the corner, already missing the haystacks outside.

X x X

Dawn arrived. The crowds were up and about, going through their normal routines. The streets were packed. Lex walked through the streets as Desmond moved along above on the rooftops, shadowing him in case of danger. As he moved through the market and into a quieter section of the city, Lex noticed a man walking down the street to his left, a box piled high with papers, wood, and various other things so that it reached clear over his head, blocking his view so that he was forced to look around it for where next to place his feet.

"_Scusi!_" he said quickly, striding to the man and catching his arm. "Let me help you, _signore_."

"Ah, _grazie_." The man lowered the box a little. "Here, take some, _amico_." The two carried the stuff to a small door, which the man unlocked. Setting the things down, Lex found himself face to face with a man with sandy blonde hair and beard, dressed with a red beret and green tunic. He blinked a few times. The man did the same, tilting his head to one side, his fingers cupping his chin.

"Fascinating. For a moment, I thought you could have been Ezio."

"I'm not Ezio, but I know of him. I'm one of his...brothers, you could say."

"An Assassin."

"You know about us?"

"_Si._"

"Are you famous by any chance?" Lex asked, still not trusting his eyes.

"No, not all that famous, my friend, but I am very popular. Perhaps you have heard of me because of that?" The man reached over and shook his hand. "My name is Leonardo. Leonardo da Vinci. And yourself?"

"Ah...um...ah...that is...ah..." Lex stammered stupidly. "Pfff... Lex. My name is Lex."

"Ah, Alessio. I see."

"Um..." Lex gestured to the things littering the table. "Do you need any more help with this?"

"No, _grazie_, I've an assistant loitering somewhere around the city. Perhaps you could find him for me?" Lex nodded. "He might be at the tavern down the street from here, near where they held the Carnivale." The young man nodded again and headed out of the room.

Desmond was waiting for him outside, arms folded. Lex explained what had happened inside. The barkeep sighed and shook his head.

"Fine, kid, fine, go find this guy. I'll keep an eye out for Mufasa."

Lex nodded and headed off, going in the direction Leonardo had indicated. The Sparrow slowed as he came to the tavern and entered, looking around inside. He looked up at the man who stood beside the door, guessing this was the bouncer of sorts.

"Signore, is da Vinci's assistant here anywhere?" The man pointed to where a cloaked figure sat at a card table. Lex moved over to him, setting a hand on his shoulder and giving a stiff tug.

"Leave me be," said the assistant, never turning around.

"Leonardo said to come get you, now come on." Another tug. The assistant spun around and stood.

"And I said leave me be for a few moments more! I've almost won!" Lex groaned inwardly at the words and shook his head. _I didn't want to do this._ Drawing back his fist, he slammed it into the man's gut. He fell to the floor immediately, winded and gasping. Kneeling, Lex made to pull him to his feet and out the door. He staggered into another table as their heads cracked together in a vicious head butt. Growling, he lunged back at the other man, who kicked him back. He responded with a punch. The man by the door opened it as their boxing match moved out into the area in front of the bar, the door shut behind them.

A kick came at his head, which Lex ducked. Moving forward quickly, he shoved hard. His opponent grasped his robes and kept upright. Lex aimed another punch for his gut, which resulted in his arm behind twisted behind his back. Twisting out of the hold, he attempted to do the same to the man, who struck back with his palm. Dropping back away from the strike, his nose stinging fiercely, he tried a spinning kick at the man's head. His foot was grabbed and he was shoved back.

Lex hopped, trying to gain enough footing to regain his balance, and planted his foot into a pothole. The Sparrow yowled as his leg twisted and came free of the hole, landing hard on his back on the cobbles, hood falling back as he threw himself up onto his feet again. Panting, off balance, he was unprepared for the blur that tackled him to the ground. On the ground once more, winded, he brought his arms up to ward off the blows he knew would be coming toward his face.

Hands grasped his head. He grabbed onto the cloak, squeezing his eyes shut, fearing death by his head being smashed in on the ground. Instead, lips pressed all over his face, covering him with kisses from his cheeks to his forehead, nose, and lips. Even his eyelids got the treatment. In between each kiss, he heard, "Brother, brother, brother, brother!"

Blinking open his eyes, he stared up at his now hoodless opponent. A tanned, smiling face gazed back at him with merry, dark eyes. Black hair hung down into these eyes, black but for a white streak running down the center.

Lex felt his mouth fall open, unable to form words, only returning the tight embrace he found himself in as the Coal Tit pulled him up to a sit and held him close, whispering in fervent, familiar Arabic, "My brother, my brother, you've come back to me."

"You're alive..."

"You said you'd come back, brother, and you have!" Amir hugged onto him tighter, nuzzling into his hair and kissing it and his ear.

"You're alive..." was all Lex could say. The younger man nodded and smiled, kissing his neck as he buried his face into it, mumbling, "We can talk later. Hug me." Lex dropped back onto the cobbles and hugged the younger Assassin to his chest.

X x X

The two songbirds pushed the doorway open to what the time travelers had coined The Lair. Lex looked over at Amir. The boy was older than he'd been in Masyaf when Lex had last seen him—fifteen, Amir had told him—and had gained a little in build and size. The brothers could look each other in the eyes.

Amir reached over and took his hand as they headed down the dry entrance to the Lair. Lex looked around as they came into the main room. Serenity was nowhere to be seen. Jameel was where the Journeyman had left him that morning, although he'd turned over in his sleep. Lex swore as he came closer to Jameel, racing to his side.

The arrow wound was leaking blood like an overturned bottle leaked drink in a bar. Cutting the bandages away with his hidden blade, he held out his arm and was tossed the roll of bandages. Pressing down on the wound heavily, he stood when Amir took over his position, tugging the needle and thread free from his pocket.

Kneeling once more, he pressed the needle into the flame Amir provided with one of the torches from the wall until it was heated. Threading it, he sewed the wound quickly shut.

Jameel groaned, smelling burning meat and feeling something hot against his skin. As Lex cut the needle free of the last stitch, Jameel's hidden blade sprang free, the Red Owl swinging blindly for whoever had come near him. He stopped mid-swing, panting, looking at Lex. Hanging his head, shaking it, he sheathed his wrist blade and grasped the Journeyman by the shoulder, shaking him slightly.

"_Idiot_, don't startle me."

"I thought I was the only one allowed to startle you." Jameel looked at him and made to lie down once more when he caught sight of Amir. He stopped, propped on an elbow, and stared in bewilderment. It was Gilbert's son. _How is he alive?_

"Amir...?" A nod. "How are you here?" Jameel looked between Lex and Amir and shook his head. "No, no, no, no, no, this must be one of their illusions. It's just a phantasm..." He ran his hands through his hair, pressed them to his eyes. "Lex, you're here, correct?"

"Yes, I am."

"You're not a ghost."

"No."

"Amir is standing beside you now." Lex looked over beside him. Indeed, he was.

"Yeah. He gave me a good pop in the face today, so I know he's real."

"Am I still drugged?"

"Not that I can see." Jameel lowered his hands and looked at Amir questioningly. Amir sat and crossed his legs.

"It's a long story," the Coal Tit said, answering the look. "But I can tell you it involves the Pieces of Eden."

"It wasn't an Egyptian cross, right?" asked the Sparrow.

"No, not that one." Jameel jerked his head toward Lex at the mention of the item. The Sparrow looked back at him. The older immortal turned his gaze slowly back toward Amir. "What about you, Jameel? How are you still alive?"

"I am alive because of my curiosity. I'll get into detail about that later."

"All right. Is Desmond here too?"

"Yes, Desmond is here, too. I'm sure Lex will tell you more about that, if he hasn't already." Jameel grasped the wall and managed to lever himself to his feet unaided. He gritted his teeth and leaned against the wall for a moment, breathing heavily. _Damn those arrows._ Tilting his head back, he looked at the ceiling before closing his eyes and losing himself in thought, digesting this newest piece of information.

Lex flinched as the door opened and Serenity strolled in. Catching sight of the boy, the woman began to rant as she walked toward the wardrobe, freeing the clasp on her cloak.

"Well, what did I tell you about going outside? If you were chased, I hope your lesson was learned. I mean, _ragazzo_, you're just that. A little boy." She put the cloak in the wardrobe and turned toward Lex, revealing two long gashes that ran almost the length of her forearms. They were bleeding only slightly, but they still looked terrible. "Even experienced Assassins are having trouble, so why do you think you can gallivant about in the daytime like you've been?"

Lex tuned her out at that point, mumbling to Amir about going to find Desmond, whom he'd forgotten about in his rush to see Amir to the hide out.

X x X

Meanwhile, outside, the rhino-headed Templar walked into an alleyway opposite an apothecary shop. There he was faced with the third and last of the Animal Trio, a huge man completely defended from head to two by thick armor, carrying a huge kite shield decorated with iron spines in one hand and a massive flanged mace in the other. The helmet and pauldrons of this one were shaped like elephant heads, the curly tusks sharpened to deadly points just as his horns were.

Across the street, hawking his wares to the crowd outside the apothecary, the young Spaniard listened with one ear, listening to the complaints with the other and dishing out his medicines. For all intents and purposes, they seemed to be discussing in a way any guardsmen would when meeting an acquaintance. He listened anyway.

"Seiyr," greeted the Rhino. "We've company."

"I know this, Karna," the Elephant responded. "Only half of Venice awoke to the news of a guard being chopped up into pieces."

"Yes, well, he shouldn't have fallen asleep at his post."

"Nevertheless. Haidar is doing well?"

"The last I saw of him. He's eager for the hunt. Night can't come soon enough. I'll be glad when it's time for his shift if only so he'll stop moaning. He sounds a man deprived of his lover."

The rest of the conversation was swallowed due to the noise of the gathering midmorning crowds. The next the Spaniard was able to look up, the conversation had finished. After a brief farewell and a pat on the back from the elephant-headed Templar to the rhino one, they parted ways.

X x X

Amir moved to stand in front of Jameel, looking up at him, having decided to watch him for his brother while Lex was out after Desmond.

"Well, Jameel," he said with a soft cheeping noise, "what have you been doing here previously to being wounded?" He smirked, growing a little bolder. "Was that Desmond's fault?"

Jameel smiled at the sarcasm in Amir's voice, sighing softly as the smile faded. _It feels good to smile,_ he reminded himself, _even for a brief moment like that._ He answered, "No. It was mine. My old enemies have resurfaced and brought some new ones as well." He lowered his head, pulling his hood over his eyes, ashamed to tell it. The Owl didn't have to say a thing about which old enemies he was referring to. He knew Amir knew. The new ones were proving far more difficult than Kadin or any of the previous members down his line. Jameel had a sinking feeling in the pit of his guts that as the weapons grew more powerful through the ages, the enemies would grow harder to kill as well.

Amir nodded once.

"Tell me about these new ones. Maybe there's some weakness you haven't seen before." Frowning, Amir raised his head with a soft cheep. "They don't happen to be those annoying walking menagerie escapees that patrol the streets, do they?" Jameel shook his head at the insult, giving a weak semblance of a laugh.

After a moment, he began to speak, "Metal Lion is first. He's fast and will follow you everywhere except for the canals. Wily and unpredictable, he's fooled me many times. Almost succeeded in killing me those times, too. I suspect he still has more surprises in store." A pause, then, "Next is Steel Rhino. Not as fast as Metal Lion, but stronger. Do not let him charge you. I have seen many men die either from being impaled on his halberd or on his armor."

A shudder traced its way up his spine as he remembered a particularly gruesome scene a few months previous. He had been chased by the Rhino and a thief happened to spot him and tried to intervene. The man was skewered through the middle on the Templar's helm, lifted up, and tossed loose with a flick of his head, left in a heap like so much trash, pieces of his guts decorating the horn along with his blood. Jameel continued, beginning to pace back and forth, "Last is Iron Elephant. He's the strongest, the most well-defended, but the slowest. He is also the most rational of the three."

Jameel stopped, staring at Amir from under his beaked hood. "Do not engage any of them in direct combat. I've made that mistake before. There will be a high chance that they will be your death if you fight them on their terms." The Assassin leaned against the wall again, keeping off his injured side. He rubbed at his shoulder, which had gone stiff while he slept. "They are part of Kadin's lineage. Where his blood flows, so the Crows circle."

X x X

Lex found Desmond standing in Leonardo's shop, a young man who looked like he'd royally lost a paintball fight held off the floor by his shirt.

"_¡D__é__jame ir, pendejo!_"

"Des?" Desmond looked up from what he was doing, which had been shaking the Spaniard. Twisting free of the barkeep's grip, the captive beat a hasty retreat through the door and was gone. Lex sighed as he saw the look on the Eagle's face. "What?"

"He said we've got company. Two more animal crackers are running around outside."

"Two?"

"Yeah, a rhino and an elephant."

"Crap, there's an elephant too."

"You knew about the rhino?"

"Yeah, saw him when we came here with Jameel."

Desmond led him outside, hurrying up to the roofs in the direction the Rhino was last seen heading. He looked over at Lex as they went along.

"Think you can find the Rhino guy again? If we're going to take the one we want to, we'll have to do something about the others, won't we?"

"When did this become 'we'?" Lex gave him an accusatory look. " 'We' usually quickly morphs into me getting my ass shot at, or stabbed, or blown up. Or caught." Desmond looked at him flatly. "All right, but what do we do once we find Rhinox?"

"One of us heads back to tell the others."

"Rock, paper, scissors for that honor?"

"Winner gets to go back to the safe house."

"Did I mention that we thing yet?"

X x X

"It seems we'll have to use different tactics than we're used to, or that we'd like to use," said Amir, fully realizing he stated the obvious. A slow smirk that reminded Jameel of Malik curled onto the boy's face. "It's going to be one interesting time here. And just when I was getting bored too."

"We'll have to plan ahead of them, and as we don't really know what they have planned, we'll have to make back up plans as well in case a plan fails. The Crows have new weapons as well." Jameel held up the arrowhead Lex had extracted from him, which he'd found on the floor, the head having fallen out of his belt sometime during his comings and goings from the hide out. It was a twin-pronged arrowhead, the prongs serrated on outer edges, much as they had been before. Except this was metal, designed to poke holes in very tough armor. "They wounded me with this."

Amir took the arrowhead and turned it over between his fingers. He looked at Jameel and asked point blank, "Have you not thought of designing your armor around this new weaponry?"

At that, Jameel slapped his palm to his face and hissed at himself, "Imbecile!" He looked to the Coal Tit again, taking the arrowhead back. "They also have smoke bombs filled with some kind of drug. I don't know what it is, but it ravages the mind and leaves the body twitching for more." He chuckled softly and walked toward the table. "I'm surprised I haven't gone mad from its effects."

Jameel sat, tapping the fingers of his left hand, including the stump of his ring finger, against the wood, starting to plot and plan. At a cheep from Amir, Jameel asked, "What is it?"

"Brother should have no finger by now, shouldn't he?"

"Lex isn't a Master yet. Besides, weapons change. They get easier to use and more powerful too. The hidden blade no longer requires a finger to use. You should've known that by now."

"Believe me, I know. You'd be surprised what I know." Jameel lifted his gaze from tracing the grains in the table as Amir turned toward the staircase that led up to the dry entrance. A dagger was released from his sleeve, which, the Red Owl saw with a bit of a start, was made of bone. Desmond stopped and stared at the Coal Tit for a full minute as he caught his breath from the run.

Remembering what he'd come for, he said with a wheeze, "Just letting you two know, we figured we'd try and kill one of those animal headed guys outside."

"Pah." Jameel snorted. "Which one?"

"The Spaniard didn't say which. We had a choice between the Elephant and the Rhino."

_Which one indeed. All three of them are dangerous in their own right,_ Jameel thought. He lowered his hood, running his left hand through his hair. It then hit him what Desmond had said. _Wait..._ Jameel paled. _If Desmond is here..._

Desmond met the Red Owl's gaze with more than a hint of trepidation as the man turned to face him. The Red Owl was an ally; Desmond dared even go so far as to call him a friend, but loathe as he was to admit it, something about the rational man of Masyaf, when he looked like that, fixing him with that arctic blizzard stare that was two parts terror and one part seething anger, set the hairs on his neck standing on end.

"Where's Lex?"

"Well," he hesitated a minute and finished quickly, "he's following the Rhino guy."

Jameel shot to his feet and immediately dropped back down into the chair, head spinning. The wound wouldn't allow him to move as he wanted, so strangling Desmond was out of the question as long as he stood out of range. _Damn their arm! Damn their eyes! Why couldn't it have been simple, a city guard? No, it __**had**__ to be mercenaries!_

"Desmond, _bala ya khumak!_" the Red Owl shouted, setting the other's ears to ringing. Serenity, roused by the ruckus, peered out from the back room she'd chosen to take her rest in. "Pray he has not been seen yet. By anybody! The city guards are not afraid to alert him to his presence. Even the rooftop guards will point him out! He'll be skewered onto the nearest wall if he's spotted!" Amir hurried over and helped Jameel up as the man forced himself to stand.

"Look, Jameel, I just came back to tell you guys," Desmond explained quickly, holding up his hands. "I actually trusted him not to die in the five minutes it would take me to get back here. So, we're good, okay?" He backed up involuntarily at the scowl the Master Assassin sent his way.

"No, we're not good. This is far from good, Desmond. Steel Rhino is hot-headed as is, and if he sees Lex, you might as well say goodbye to any chance of you getting home!"

"Jesus Christ, all right, I'm going to get him right now! He can't be so stupid as to get himself caught out in the open, right? Right?" He turned and hurried off. Jameel gripped the chair back as Amir instructed him to wait there. He returned with a large blanket from one of the cupboards and a few pillows. Spreading them on the floor near the wall, he brought Jameel to the makeshift bed and sat down with him.

Jameel sat against the wall, not caring if it aggravated his wound. He had the armor-piercing arrowhead in hand and was turning it over and over. His thoughts turned to the Animal Trio and his brother. _Kadin was never forgiven. I curse him even in death. His bones and innards are dust beneath my boots and I still curse him. His lineage must be blotted out. They'll just follow in his footsteps anyway._ His mind conjured up the image he'd described to Desmond in his rage, his little bird impaled by the Rhino's halberd, clutching at the shaft as the blade was driven into the wall. His fist clenched around the arrowhead, blood welling up burgundy red in his fist. _I will never forgive them. For the deeds they've done, for the deeds they've yet to do, for the deeds they might do. Never._

X x X

Lex slinked past another pair of guards. _Christ, there're a lot of guards out today, on the ground, on the roofs... Do they have scuba-guards yet?_ He hopped across a canal and scurried along in the rhino-man's shadow, taking a glance at the armor. Was it his imagination or were those horns real horn?

He kept to the wall on either side as he continued to tail the man. Lex slowed his pace as a group of guards with pikes joined up with Steel Rhino, waiting until they were a good distance ahead before trotting along behind them.

As he did this, Desmond raced along the roofs, shoving a guard into the water of the canal below as he was about to sound an alarm. _He'd better not be a kabob! Jameel'll rip my fucking heart out with a spoon!_

Lex unsheathed the tip of his hidden blade as he continued to follow, pausing as they turned down a narrow street. This reeked of a trap. Taking a long breath, he stepped into the mouth of the street.

A silver blur was barreling toward him the next he could register what he was seeing. The Rhino was moving shoulder down, horn directed at him. The man's halberd was positioned just below the horn. And it was being thrust toward him now.

X x X

Jameel unclenched his fist, letting the arrowhead drop to the blanket. He continued to gaze vacantly at the bloody, deadly point, his face expressionless. Suddenly, the Red Owl scooped up the head and tossed it angrily away. It bounced and spun end over end, wedging itself into the wood of the table across the way.

"Am I even considered an Assassin anymore?"

"You are. And anyone who doesn't think so is a dead man, one way or another." Amir's voice held a note of finality that Jameel envied. "How else would you have survived this long against those things?" He gestured to the arrowhead.

"Luck? Stupidity? Because they want me alive to torment for a while more? Who knows." Jameel glared daggers at the point stuck in the table. "I hate them. I really do. They've been on my heels forever. They don't stop. Somebody new will always come around and pay them a huge fee to hunt the Red Owl. It just never stops..." His gaze changed from hateful to a hollow emptiness as he locked eyes with the son of Malik and Badr, the son of Gilbert and Sarah.

Amir looked back at him, holding the other Assassin's gaze. Jameel blinked as arms were flung around his neck, a little black and white head of hair nestling under his chin. He shut his eyes and wrapped his arms around Amir.

X x X

The Sparrow staggered back against the wall, clutching his stomach. The halberd had cut a red line into his belly, long and shallow. He'd only just managed to twist aside.

The smaller man flinched as Desmond landed beside him, a throwing knife flying toward the back of the Rhino's head where the helmet met the back of his armor as the barkeep lifted Lex and helped him up onto the roof.

Below, the Rhino turned and ducked his head, raising his shoulder. The throwing knife bounced off the armor and clattered to the ground. He gave a sharp whistle. Glass shattered on the roof where Desmond and Lex had taken shelter. The two ran behind the nearest structure on the roof, a gargoyle like object, to escape the hail of shards from the glass arrows. Lex pressed his shoulder to it. Catching on, Desmond put in his own weight. Together, they rocked the weathered base and sent the stone tumbling down toward the Rhino and his guards.

Not sticking around to see if the ploy worked, they ran toward the nearest canal.

X x X

An explosion caught Jameel's attention as the exit door flew open and Desmond came pounding down the steps, the tips of his hair scorched in patches and his clothes burned. Alone. Jameel sat up, letting Amir slip to the blanket. His hidden blade made itself known as he lifted a leg to kneel forward, only to stop as Amir ran down the wet tunnel stairs.

Sloshing reached Jameel's ears then. He dropped the knife absently, inching up the wall until he managed to find his footing and take a few unsteady steps forward. Amir came back into view with Lex in tow. The Journeyman's arms were pressed to the slit wound on his belly, the white cloth dyed red.

There was Lex. Wounded badly, pale and quivering, but alive.

Oddly enough, he felt no anger. A part of him had expected this to happen. After all, it had had happened to him. And it was Lex. The Sparrow looked up at the Owl, stumbling as he was helped toward the table, wondering what he was going to say.

The only thing Jameel had to say was, "I warned you."

**Ehi, futtiti! = Hey, fuck you!**

**Scusi! = Excuse me**

**Signore = sir/mister**

**Grazie = Thank you**

**Amico = Friend**

**Si = Yes**

**Ragazzo = Boy**

**Déjame ir, pendejo! ****= Let me go, dumbass pubic hair asshole!**

**Bala ya khumak! = May you be swept up in a catastrophe!**

**I hope you guys are loving this second half of the Creed series so far as much as you seem to be. Thanks for all the love so far. Haven't beaten the four-chapters-in-one-weekend streak yet, but I just might soon. Two this weekend—just didn't get the chance to post it up yesterday before I passed out. XD Y'all keep reading, as always, and I'll keep writing for ya.**


	5. Chapter V

**Disclaimer: **Ubisoft owns AC and its characters, Jameel, Ravenwatch, and the Animal Trio belong to Krono, and Badr owns Amir.

**Thanks to Nessa, Renka, and Badr for the reviews. :3 **

Venice, Italy  
1487

"Yeah, you told me so." Lex gave a weak nod, avoiding the Owl's eyes, and grabbed up one of the rolls of bandages he'd set aside when tending to Jameel's wounds. "Should've listened, shouldn't I?" He leaned against the wall as the Coal Tit and Eagle conversed in hushed tones to one side. Shrugging out of his bloodied robes and belt, he stared at the slit in his stomach.

Jameel took the bandages from his hands as they began to tremble. Kneeling, he began to bind the slit. The Assassin didn't respond to the question. Instead, he paused in wrapping, looking up at the younger man.

"We'll need to be more careful. Plan very carefully. Every one of us should think before going out alone," he said softly, "if we go out alone at all."

During the entire episode with Amir, Jameel, and Desmond, Serenity had sat silently in a corner of the room, watching. For all the world, or all the men seemed to care, she was a shadow and nothing more. She was truly surprised when the little boy had come in dragging the other little boy, wounded. Surprised he hadn't brought the Templars in to reclaim their old haunt.

As Jameel spoke gently to the boy, she found she could not remain silent. Standing, she moved into the light. Her sudden speech made the other's conversation halt.

"I believe I as well told you it was dangerous to go outside." Her glare was directed firmly at Lex. "You disobeyed, blew your own cover somehow, I'm sure, and returned to us wounded. You could have at least done the Templars the further favor of bringing them to our door, or did your friend prevent that addition to your little fiasco? Your antics, however, are not the point in this matter. The mercenaries and Templars are a problem that needs to be dealt with immediately." Serenity produced a roll of parchment from her robes and handed it over to Jameel. He unrolled it and looked down upon a detailed map of Venice, the patrols of guards marked in detail. "As it is sorely needed, I will be glad to help free my city from the tyranny of these monsters." She folded her arms and looked each and every one of the men in the eyes.

Lex almost jumped up as the woman finished her speech, ready to unleash fury with his tongue. His wound prevented this. Clutching at it, he sat against the wall. He lowered his eyes and remained silent. Jameel had said the same thing in fewer words. It had stung like putting weight on a broken bone—a lesson. The female Assassin saying it, along with her glare, her possessiveness over the entire canal-crossed, stinking, insane city, was only akin to taking a quart of salt and jamming it deep within the long slash in his belly.

Amir had whipped around as soon as the woman opened her mouth, halted in giving Desmond a tongue-lashing for having left his brother behind before, one which he was sure would have made Malik proud. He stalked toward the woman, almost bristling, his accent breaking forth heavily in his Italian.

"You speak of planning, yet you know nothing of keeping men together, foolish bitch. Would you truly like to know how much having your guts slashed open really hurts? I'm more than happy to give you a demonstration of that pain," he growled, caring nothing for the fact that he had to stand on his toes to get in Serenity's face. "It only takes one to give a lesson, not one and every other person standing about! A lesson should show where mistakes are made. Never destroy another's confidence or make them feel like scum! Or is that matter too complex for you to understand?" He gave a slight sneer as he finished, willing to follow through with his earlier offer if she so desired a lesson of her own. "Oh, and that map you handed the Night Master just now? It's already old."

"Hold a moment, small, dark, and loud," she said. "A word?" Serenity walked towards the opposite end of the room and leaned against the wall, waiting for the know-all Assassin. When Amir came to her, she pushed herself off the wall and walked around him until her back was to the group, but only enough so that she could keep a semblance of privacy while still keeping half an eye on the failure in particular. "I do not trust them. That is enough reason for my scorn, much less his failure so far in the city."

She threw a particularly venomous glance over toward Lex and Desmond, but mostly the Sparrow. "The boy is trouble. He attracts and will continue to attract attention when it's not needed." She paused to gauge his reaction before adding, "I can see he has been trained. Yet he fails to adapt to his environment or use the proper stealth to deal with the threat at hand. An unreliable Assassin is the death of many Assassins. If I were you and such a one as he had jeopardized a mission, I would do what any proper Assassin would. And I think you know what I mean by that." She waited now for what he would say, for Serenity knew he would have something to say on this little matter, her face schooled into neutrality.

Amir's eyes narrowed to slits as he twitched his pinkie, the bone dagger he wore in place of a true metal hidden blade sliding into view. He pressed the sharpened tip of bone to the woman's belly.

"A wise Grandmaster once told me to never kill a man unless he had no way of learning the proper path." He lowered his arm. "To kill is always the last resort within the Order, or else my very own mother would have been dead a long time ago, not because of unreliability but because of his inability to adapt to the environment. He took punishment in the form of injuries."

The woman moved back away from the dagger, eyeing him dubiously.

While the two were talking, the Red Owl was listening. He was perfectly still, the look of murder frozen in his icy eyes, his hidden blade out of its protective sheath. Unlike Amir, he had no reservations about what to do when it came to killing a brother Assassin and by what terms it could be done. Jameel kept his eyes on the woman as she moved, tensed to see if she would take a step nearer to them. Even though he was wounded, Jameel knew he could muster up enough mental strength to ignore it and go after her if she so much as blinked the wrong way at the Sparrow.

"You will not touch him." Serenity jerked her head around and stared at him. Jameel's voice, low as it was, carried a Master's authority in every word of his next order. "You will leave him be."

Desmond watched the proceedings from his seat at the table, devouring an apple as he did. The crunching echoed loudly within the tense room. Lex kept his head and eyes low, pulling his robes back on over the fresh binding Jameel had tied off tightly over his middle.

Amir glared up at her. "And if you should take it into your head to disobey this and the Red Owl should be occupied with pressing matters, I will kill you with my own two hands." Desmond bit onto air the next moment, his apple pinned to the wall by a throwing knife. Amir took a seat on the end of the blanket near to his brother, not willing to butt into the private space the two men had created for themselves with their closeness, Jameel's hand still on Lex's waist.

Grabbing himself another apple and taking a chunk from it, Desmond said to Jameel in Arabic, "Might want to change your bandage." A spot of blood was showing on the man's robes. Jameel nodded, retracted his blade, and began to cut away the bandages. _Damn arrows..._ Lex shifted carefully, taking up the roll Jameel had used on him and began to help him bind it.

"It looks better," he murmured.

"Getting better. Slightly," Jameel responded, although the ragged tear was surely going to leave a scar. He looked at Desmond and Amir. "We will have to train more." Lex made to rise. "Sit! I did not say we will have to train now." He returned to his seat. "We will train, then gather further information about our targets. But first, our wounds must heal. We will be no good to anyone should we bleed out during a light sparring session." He gave Lex a hard look. The Sparrow shook his head.

"Jameel, I fought off Templars from Masyaf on a broken leg. I can handle a little flesh wound."

"It's that thinking that earned you that so called little flesh wound. Be sorry it will not scar; you'll lack the reminder of its presence not to be so foolish." Lex bowed his head once more. The Red Owl looked up as Serenity moved once more, disappearing toward the back room. Looking at Desmond and Amir, he added, "That doesn't excuse you two. Get to it." Amir nodded and moved off to one side with Desmond. The Eagle groaned and took up his boxer's stance.

Placing a hand atop Lex's head as the two Assassins left the blanket to spar, Jameel ruffled up his hair. "Look at me, little bird." Brown eyes were raised to look into blue. "If you're such a fool, I can only blame myself for it. I've set your example. Now take what rest you can." Nodding, Lex lay down on his back and shut his eyes. Jameel sighed before he too laid down, settling his gaze into the distance far beyond the high ceiling.

Several days passed as the Assassin tended their wounds until Jameel deemed them finally fit enough to spar. Jameel set the book down he'd been reading, something or other by Petrarch, which he'd only picked up to while away the hours and didn't retain much or anything of as there was no one to converse with about it—Amir tended to read the books when the authors first published and never again and Lex tended to doze off after reading a few passages himself—and sat up, popping his shoulder. Standing, he stretched the kinks out of the rest of his body.

Reaching down, he tapped Lex's cheek with his fingertips.

"Huh?" The Sparrow blinked at him, brows pinched and lips pursed in confusion before he shook his head and knuckled the sleep from his eyes. "Wha' time's it?"

"Time for training." Lex gave the tall man a sour look at what he assumed was supposed to be a joke. Heaving himself to his feet, he gave a few experimental stretches. The muscles of his stomach were sore when he moved, but the training would soon ease the pain. _Nothing like a good shot of exercise-induced pain killers to help with a wound._

Jameel let his hidden blade slide free of its sheath as Serenity moved into the room. Lex's blade did likewise as he cracked his knuckles and circled Jameel. The Sparrow gave a quick glance toward the woman before shifting to the side and coming at the Owl from behind on his good side, still wary of attacking on the side he'd been injured on lest he tear the freshly healed skin. _That wouldn't be a fair spar. That'd be torture for both of us._

Jameel swung his blade toward the appropriate side to block. The blades slid off one another. After the blade was deflected, he shoved Lex back with his shoulder, making sure to do so in the chest instead of the gut. It would still wind him, but without the added stress on the slashed, healing muscles of his belly. _I'm not that cruel._ His thoughts turned toward his own injury. The muscles protested from the movement, but the already-forming scar did nothing more than throb. Returning to his original stance, the Red Owl focused on the other's movements with the same intensity he would give a roused viper.

Lex rode the shove, catching himself on his toes and moving quickly into a crouch. He feinted to the man's scarred side before coming back up with a sharp jab at his face. Jameel moved away from the jab, countering with his own punch to Lex's face. The smaller man made a startled noise and all but flung himself to one side, nearly tripping over his own feet as he slashed at the other Assassin's side with his blade. Jameel side-stepped the swipe with the blade.

As he did, Lex lunged forward in an attempted tackle. Jameel dropped low, sweeping at his legs. Lex made another startled noise as he was forced to take a quick step over Jameel's leg, flailing his arms quickly to keep himself upright. _Don't give him time to do that again!_ He shifted his weight, kicking at Jameel's back, eyes shut, listening for what would come next.

At the table where they sat watching, the two other males were stacking coins, betting on who would win.

"Do you even have forty florins to your name, Desmond?"

"That's for me to know, kid, and you to never collect on."

The Red Owl twisted out of his reach, moving on the balls of his feet. _Let's see if Lex slacked off in his training._ He hopped to one side in a feint, then to the other. Another feint. His attack finally came in a direct kick toward Lex's chest. The Sparrow blocked the strike hurriedly with his arms, balancing on his toes as he moved backward, eyes clamped shut. He tiptoed back as silently as he could along the length of the room.

He froze as a coin fell to the floor, but what chilled his blood was hearing not more than what felt like a foot behind him, "Seems you startled him. Poor boy." He'd forgotten about the woman.

Jameel shot Desmond and Amir a look, the spawn of the Son of Umar reaching down to retrieve the florin that had rolled under the table, sighing and running a hand through his hair. Already tense and wary from the match, the woman standing behind Lex did nothing to alleviate the edge he was put on. He looked at Serenity. She returned his gaze, her arms folded over her chest.

"We have her," said Amir in their native tongue as he watched the Master Assassin pause. "I'm not sure if I'll leave anything for you if it comes to anything more than staying her hands." Jameel gave him a quick nod. _Good._ He began to move, walking toe-to-heel for absolute silence. _I don't want her to kill him for being a liability in her eyes. He can be trained._

Jameel held his breath as he came closer to Lex, watching the young man's eyes flicking behind his lids. _He __**is**__ being trained._ His boots made no sound; his armor did not rattle. His eyes flicked to Serenity, narrowing in warning. _Under my wings, he'll be one of the best Assassins around._ His blade tapped on Lex's shoulder.

"Hello, Lex."

"Hey, Jameel." He jabbed his elbow back into Jameel's ribs, turning and striking at the back of his knee with his heel as he moved his blade up toward his throat. Jameel took the jab, but moved his leg away from the heel hook, grasping the other's blade arm and holding it away from his throat. He tightened his grip as Lex attempted to push forward, bringing his arm up and away from. The Sparrow hissed through his teeth, "Hurts."

"So do your bony elbows." He released his hold, watching Lex shake out his wrist.

"Had he been serious, you would be dead," Serenity chimed in, looking at the little boy from under half-closed lids, a predatory glower. Jameel's own glare focused on her. "After all, Jameel, you crept up on him and he did nothing but stand there with his eyes shut." She gave Lex a thin-lipped smile. The Sparrow turned and made his way to the table where Desmond was pushing Amir the coins that had been piled between them. "Of course, it wasn't a real duel. Only a spar." The woman tapped her chin. "Although I seem to remember he returned from a mission not only wounded but having failed said mission. Almost bringing the Templars down upon our heads as well. Of course, it was only our lives that would have been forfeit." The hidden blade pressed to her throat halted the female Assassin's remarks.

"Lest I find myself cutting out your tongue in Amir's place, be silent." He lowered the blade. "We'll have to work together to be rid of these foes. More than one Assassin is required this time." The blade disappeared into its sheath as he walked to the table. He would make sure Lex gave her no excuse to carry out what she wanted, or to make further remarks against him.

"As I was telling Jameel, our armor needs to be upgraded, as do our weapons," Amir was saying. "If we manage to get Ezio and Mama, we'll have six to our number. Plenty." Lex's eyes drifted to Serenity and then back to the task at hand. His brother made his feelings clear by not counting her among their ranks.

"I have an idea about the armor."

"Indulge us," Desmond muttered. The Coal Tit turned a slow look on him that made the barkeep look away.

"Bulletproof vests. If they can stop bullets, they should be able to stop the shrapnel from the bombs and glass arrows as well as those new metal arrowheads."

"They don't have Kevlar here, dumbass." Desmond let out a groan as his shin was kicked. Jameel gave the two a look before their little squabble could escalate.

"Don't forget about our other Crow problem. They have drug-filled smoke bombs." Jameel leaned his arms against the table and looked at the younger men. "What are we to do against that?"

"Gas masks?" Desmond proposed, spinning to face Amir and switching to Arabic. "By the way, not to be off topic, but how the hell are you still alive?" Sighing, Amir reached into his robes and pulled out a falcon skull he wore on a leather cord. The men blanched.

"What this skull guards is the reason. A splinter from a certain tree," he said, looking at Jameel. "And yourself?"

"An old Egyptian cross..." the Red Owl answered with a long look at Lex. When no reaction was given other than a blink from the Sparrow, he asked, curiosity getting the better of him, "Gas masks?" By way of demonstration, Lex pulled the sash from under his belt and tied it over his mouth and nose, making a show of breathing through it heavily. _Is that what their masks are for?_ Jameel wondered, thinking of the plague doctor masks the Crows wore. _Hmm..._ In Italian once again: "That doesn't sound like a bad idea."

"Where is it now?" Amir asked, speaking Arabic once more as Jameel went to one side of the room and came back with a satchel the time travelers hadn't seen before. From it he took an inkwell, quill, and parchment. Motioning Lex over, he began to sketch one of the Ravenwatch masks. "Where is the cross now?" Amir pressed.

"I don't know where it is now," Jameel said, looking up sharply at the young man, who flinched. He sighed. "Forgive me." Amir nodded and lowered his head, giving a soft cheep. The Red Owl sighed again and put a hand on his shoulder, which the boy hugged before moving to follow Desmond to eat a plate of food out of the way of the elder's work. "Eternal Novice is right," he muttered as he pulled the arrowhead from the table. He needed to make sure he didn't miss any details that would be crucial to making the armor. After a moment, he added, "It completely disappeared. Gone. Nobody told me it was a Piece of Eden. Everyone left me questioning..."

He looked up as he felt a hand on his shoulder. Lex took a seat beside him; the Arabic felt good on his lips as it flowed from his tongue: "Don't worry about it. Okay? We've got enough to deal with without that silly thing."

Jameel nodded and looked at the drawing once more. _Gas masks...lightweight but tough armor... This is going to be a chore. If the mercenaries catch on to what we're doing, they might just make something that'll completely throw off our plans. Their Templar employers have to die before that happens!_ His thoughts trailed off as he heard a small chuckle next to him, giving Lex a questioning glance as he laughed a little more.

"Have you gone mad from the weight of all this?"

The Sparrow shook his head and smiled. "I'm not losing it, don't worry. It's just hit me that we've got to take down three huge guys, plus the Crows, and..." He threw up an arm. "And what does my mind come up with as an immediate stress relief?" Jameel shrugged, not knowing the answer, only to have Lex lean up and peck his lips. From her vantage point, Serenity raised a brow. Jameel smirked a bit, then gave Lex a gentle push back in the chair. _What a sneak you've become._ Catching the other three inhabitants of the room watching them, he gave them a warning stare and put an arm around Lex, drawing him back to the parchment.

The two men worked for a few hours on the designs, Lex sketching the modern armor as best he could with the quill and helping to translate it over to what was available. Eventually, they settled on a design. For the gas mask, a layer of cotton cloth inside two layers of leather, the leather studded with holes over the nostrils and mouth to allow its wearer to breathe. For the armor, a jack of plates with regular felt and canvas layering with an added extra layer of leather on the outside and inside.

Jameel sighed as he pressed his hand to his brow, a headache forming. Setting the sketches aside, he dropped his head to the table. _Damn arrows._ _Damn mercenaries. Damn war._ He sighed as he felt fingers passing over his head. The Sparrow propped his feet up on the back of one of the other chairs, back pressed to the man's side as he stroked his head. He looked up as Desmond waved to him.

"We'll be back." The Eagle pointed to the Coal Tit, who was already at the door, drawings in hand. "He knows a guy who'll help us with the armor." The two Assassins hurried up to the streets and toward Leonardo's workshop. _After all, the guy made helicopters and tanks,_ Desmond thought to himself. _If he can build a tank, he can make body armor._

X x X

Outside of the apothecary shop, Steel Rhino and Iron Elephant were talking to each other again. It was only a brief report, an all clear on both fronts. They quickly parted ways, moving past each other with their respective posses. Across the street, Leonardo hummed, jumping when two hands touched his shoulders. He spun around and looked at them, sighing and touching his hand to his chest.

They moved inside as Iron Elephant and his men halted, the elephant head turned toward the shop. From the window, the Assassins and the artist watched. This group was carrying an assortment of weapons: swords, maces, pikes, and axes. For a moment, it looked as if he was going to come to the shop. Then, "Signore!" Even the ones inside the polymath's abode looked up as the tiny Spaniard strolled up to the tall man with the spike-studded shield and giant mace.

"_Nico, sei impazzito?_" Leonardo hissed, biting his lower lip as they watched.

"_Señor, un momento, por favor,_" the one Leonardo called Nico said, his native tongue slipping through. "I know I cannot tempt your friend with the halberd by now, but may I interest you or your men in some of my tinctures? Only a few florins, _signore_, a paltry sum for a man who can afford such grand armor. And might I say of that armor: _Estupenda!_"

"If you cannot tempt my brother, you will not tempt me or my men. We are well taken care of, as you can tell." He leaned on his mace, looking down at the small figure. "Now, do you wish to continue selling to men who won't buy?"

"It cannot hurt a man who must win bread to try, signore, but I know when I am beaten." Nico pulled a low bow to the guardsmen. "_Buona sera, signori._" Giving the young man a few seconds to move aside, the heavily armored troop marched out. Hearing Leonardo let out a breath he'd apparently been holding, the Assassins turned to the polymath once again. Amir produced the parchment from his robes, along with the bag of his earnings.

"Here, Papa. We need at least six of these made, as well as these," and he produced another sheet of parchment and handed it to Leonardo. Desmond stared at Amir. _Papa?_ The bartender settled for watching for any more patrols instead of trying to figure out just why Amir had called Leonardo his father. Outside, city guards patrolled, the armored nuts among them more often than not, people went about their busy days, a few children racing between their legs.

_It's like they've got no idea what's going on right in front of their faces,_ Desmond thought. _Oh, yeah, right. They don't._ He looked up at a tap on his shoulder. "We'll be heading back now."

"You know, right about now Lex would say something stupid," Desmond commented. The Coal Tit looked at him flatly. "Oh, c'mon, don't tell me you've found a way to ignore it or actually like it when he does something like"—he struck a pose and pointed to the door—" 'To the Bird Cave!'?"

"Never do that again."

The two set off down to the Lair once more. As they made their way toward the dry entrance, Desmond was forced to heft up Amir and toss the both of them into the nearest hay cart, the Steel Rhino and his band rounding the corner. Two of the men poked at the hay half-heartedly, but quickly rejoined the group. Crawling from the bottom of the cart, they entered the Lair.

Inside the hide out, Jameel and Lex still lay at the table. One of the Red Owl's arms was draped loosely over Lex's shoulders, the younger man's head resting against his chest, looking almost ready to tip into his lap. He still held the arrowhead in one hand, fingers fumbling with it in his sleep.

The Eagle walked over and took the arrowhead from his hand as Amir surveyed the room. _Where has the woman gone?_ wondered the Coal Tit. His pondering was interrupted as Jameel crashed to the floor, having started as the arrowhead was taken and fallen to the floor. The Master Assassin looked ragged, stretched thin, as if he had seen lifetimes of death, war, and destruction. Amir knew he had, too. Lex looked at Jameel blurrily as he fell, taking the chair with him. Standing the chair upright, he pulled Jameel up.

The two went to the blanket and lay down beside one another.

X x X

Lex lifted his head from the pillow and rubbed the grit from his eyes. He sat up, popping his back and neck in the process, and sighed, stretching the kinks from his arms and legs with further popping. He looked at the man beside him. The Red Owl still slept, a hand on his leg. He ran a hand over the other immortal's dark hair before going over to where Desmond lay with Amir on another makeshift bed, the arrowhead sticking out of his pocket. Stooping down, he eased the arrowhead out of Desmond's pocket and into his own.

"Say something about you and going out. I dare you." The bartender's voice was low and warning. He glowered at the younger man. The other flashed him double OK signs with his fingers, heading for the door. "I'm not getting blamed if you die by being mauled by some exotic pet."

"There won't be any mauling done. Just dropping this by Leo's so he can have it for the armor and getting back here."

"You say that like you're not a blundering idiot. In fact," he said, pausing long enough to sit up straight, "what's gotten into you that you are acting like a blundering idiot? You feel like you have something to prove?" The smaller one shrugged before heading for the exit. He stopped. "What?"

"Tell Jameel... Nah, never mind." _He knows already._ He shook his head and mounted the stairs to the world above. Night covered the sky again in star-dotted darkness. Metal Lion, he saw from his hiding place in the hay cart, was on the prowl. Again, his silhouette kept the guards awake. Ravenwatch had come out to play as well.

Taking a breath, he slipped from the cover of the hay and made his way along the streets. Crazy Legs kept moving around, the guards remaining awake every time he passed. Eventually, he found a guard asleep on the job atop the roofs. The guard shrieked like a girl when a roar rumbled right by his head. Lex didn't blame him—his ear drum was probably shattered. It sounded like the helmet amplified the sound, rousing the guards within several roofs' worth of range. The Sparrow wondered briefly if the amplification had been intentional or not. Whether or not it was, the one doing the roaring seemed to like it well enough; Metal Lion laughed at the guard he'd just awoken, then continued on.

Below, Lex hurried on toward the polymath's shop.

X x X

Serenity had spent most of the evening and night deep in thought. She felt the group's chilly attitude toward her as palpably as if Venice had had a freak ice storm and knew they didn't trust her. _Well, I don't trust these newcomers, or the changes they've made in Jameel._

The Red Owl had always been stoic; she'd often found him alone, brooding atop one of the towers of the noblemen's houses or the churches, or on the off chance in the crow's nest of a docked ship, staring out to the west. He had never opened himself to yet. Yet... _Yet with this little brat he's...!_ The little boy had wrought a profound change in him. He spoke softly to him, caressed him when he was wounded, bound the wounds for him, allowed himself to be held in his sleep by him and returned the embrace fiercely. Let himself be kissed full on the mouth!

_That little catamite has him wrapped around every one of his bony fingers!_ From where she sat, she looked at the sleeping men. Jameel was curled on his uninjured side, arms stretched out toward the side where the catamite had laid, as if yearning to hold him again. The other two lay on their pallet side by side. Amir vaguely intrigued her, seeming to know far more than a boy his age had a right to for a reason she couldn't place—perhaps it was the way he spoke. Desmond was still a mystery to her, on the one hand seeming a qualified Assassin, on the other a bonafide fool. She looked at Jameel once more before rising and moving to the wardrobe.

Discarding her robes for simple cotton breeches and a tunic, she pulled a thick, brown woolen cloak around her shoulders and slipped out of the hide out, walking into the marketplace.

X x X

Leonardo looked up at pounding on the door. Opening it, he was almost knocked over by a white blur, which knocked itself over with an array of boxes stacked like Tetris blocks along the floor.

"Ouch." Lex lifted himself from where he'd fallen across the crates. "_Buona notte_, Leo. Sorry about the rush."

"No need to apologize, my friend. I hear my namesake on the roofs as well as those guards. Those roars are fast becoming annoying." Lex lifted a brow at the artist's annoyed tone but held out the arrowhead, which was quickly plucked from his grip. "Interesting." The man held it up close to his face. "Quite deadly as well. Is this...blood?" A nod. "_Dio mio._ Whose?"

"My lover's." The polymath took his turn in raising both his eyebrows to almost touch his red beret. "He's getting better. Don't worry."

"Is this for the armor designs?"

"Yeah. Thought you could use a look at what we're up against. At least, part of it. The other part's—" Lex jumped backwards as a roar sounded from the roof, falling over the crates and tumbling end over end onto his stomach, hidden blade planting itself in the floor as his finger accidentally released it. "Jesus..." He sat up, rubbing his neck. "I think I got whiplash..."

Leonardo moved over and took him by the arm, helping him up and over the crates once more. "_Grazie._"

"_Di niente._" The older man tightened his grip as the Assassin made for the door. "_Un momento._" He looked at him, almost thoughtfully. "Take care of each other. And make sure there is no one else who finds out what you've told me so easily. We are of a kind, you and I, but others will not see it so lightly." He gave the boy a wan smile. "Poor men are subject to the whims of the rich, and all subject to the church. Artists are allowed as much freedom as the will of their patrons dictates."

Lex gave him a devil-may-care smile in return. "Well, since we Assassins are subject to our own dictates, the vigilantes that we technically are, I'd say I can tell them to go back to twiddling the thumbs they've shoved up their asses and sat on for so long."

X x X

Jameel bolted upright at the roar, heart almost leaping from his chest. Shutting his eyes, he willed his breathing back to normal, pressing a hand to his forehead. _Damn it. I was getting some good sleep, too._ It was some of the best sleep he'd had in a long while. _Not_ the _best, but..._ He frowned, having felt only air beside him with his other hand. He opened his eyes and looked.

No Lex. He looked around, standing and stretching the kinks from his muscles out of habit. Frowning, he moved to the corridor and peered into the room where Serenity had slept. No Serenity. Returning to the room, he found Amir and Desmond awakened as well, Amir already on guard and Desmond looking annoyed at his slumber being disturbed.

"How was your sleep?" asked Amir, looking at Jameel's harried expression.

"Great," answered Desmond from beside him.

"Not you," the Coal Tit snarled.

"Better than the previous attempts at sleep. Now," the Red Owl said, pointing to the empty spot where he'd slept, "I'm sure you two know what question I'm going to ask by now."

X x X

The young immortal pressed his back against the wall and checked around the corner, making his way down the street afterward. Slipping through the meager crowds of night owls, he headed for the square that would lead to the old Lair. Hearing the clank of metal on tile overhead, he threw himself into the nearest hiding spot he could find, an old well.

Metal Lion jumped from one roof to another and hurried on out of his line of sight. _Whoa, that was close!_ Shifting himself bit by bit, Lex hooked his arms and legs over the rim of the well and rolled off onto solid ground. Quick, quiet, and pale from the close encounter, he slid into the doorway of the Lair and made sure it was shut behind him before taking the steps almost two at a time down to where the other Assassins were up and about.

"Hey, guys," he panted, looking to where Desmond and Amir sat on their bed, then to Jameel, who was glaring at Desmond from where he leaned against the wall. "Morning."

"Were you seen?" Jameel lifted his gaze, though the glare didn't slacken. If Lex was seen, the Templars would have already set someone to follow him to the hide out. Lex would have broken the third tenet, however unintentionally, and... He clenched the fist of his hidden blade arm. _The invaders would have to be repelled, that's all._

The younger man shook his head. "No, wasn't seen by anybody. A few close calls, but not seen by anybody."

"Good." Jameel strode toward him, closing the distance in three strides and leaning down over him. "Because if you were seen by that bastard lunatic outside, he'd make sure to either kill you or tear the information out of you and then kill you. He won't care which." Looking down, he realized he'd taken hold of Lex's robes, nearly holding the Sparrow clear from the floor. Lowering him down to his feet, his fists still bunching the fabric in them, he asked gruffly, "How are the weapons?"

"They're coming along." Lex lifted his hands and worked Jameel's fingers off his clothes. "He's got all the materials for weapons and armor. I gave him the arrowhead too."

Letting out the breath he'd been holding, Jameel nodded.

"What if we are seen?" Amir asked suddenly. "If one of us is severely injured or killed by them, what then? There must be something we can do to prevent our ranks being thinned to nothing. Recruitment?"

"Where to begin?" The Red Owl's gaze snapped to the entrance Lex had come through as another roar sounded to awaken the sleeping guards. Grasping the Journeyman by the scruff, he dragged him back to where the others sat. _Not tonight. We won't be doing any recruiting tonight._ Not many civilians from the streets would live up to the expectations of the job. The roaring maniac only made matters worse in that department. Metal Lion would just chase the recruits and murder them brutally, thinning the Assassin ranks further. The Master Assassin looked down at the others, then the one beside him, his fist tightening until his knuckles shone white. The Assassins they had were precious.

"With offing the Lion," Desmond suggested.

"You forget about his help." Jameel pointed to his side.

"Do mind games work on this guy?"

"He learns, unlike most lunatics. I've had to use a different strategy each time. He's not one to fall for the same trick twice."

"What if we each pestered him at different times and different ways?" asked Lex.

"He may catch onto that too. His paranoia makes Sibrand look personable."

"Jameel, you pick the worst people to have as enemies," Desmond muttered.

Jameel hit the wall with the flat of his fist. "I never chose my enemies, Desmond! I've told you they're of Kadin's lineage. I never understood why Kadin hated me so much, and I never wanted any of this."

"Oh, let's see, considering what we know about Templars," Desmond mused. "He could have been a greedy, envious asshole."

"There had to be a reason, Desmond."

"Older children piss themselves when the parents bring home a new baby sometimes to get their parents' attention again." The older immortal looked at Lex, who shrugged. "Introduction to Psychology class in school. Jealousy of you being younger might've sparked it off."

"Possible. Very likely," the man admitted, turning his gaze to inspect a crack in the wall. "I'll never know for sure now." The others looked at him quizzically. He gave him a chilly smirk. "I killed him in the middle of the night. He couldn't exactly speak after that."

But the killings never stopped there. When Kadin's children became involved, he killed them, and when their children became involved, he killed them, too. It was a never-ending, vicious cycle, and being bound by the Creed, Jameel couldn't kill their pregnant wives or the young children. He looked down as he felt Lex slip away from him, moving to the table to get a drink. He shifted from the wall as well, walking with his hands clasped behind his back.

Amir looked at Jameel, watching him move. "Who would we recruit in this city?"

The Red Owl stopped, having turned to face him. He simply stood there, hands behind his back, standing straight to his full height, statue like. Only the frigid stare meeting his eyes and the tight rise and fall of his chest told Amir that the man wasn't just sandstone covered in flesh and clothing.

"Good question. I don't have all the answers to everything, Amir. If you were in my position, what would you do?"

"If I were in your position, Jameel, I would arm myself, kill the target in question, and draw from your allies and those who know Venice to gain recruits," Amir responded just as crisply. As Jameel opened his mouth to respond, he held up a hand, stalling the man's words, and listened. There was nothing to hear. "It's not dawn yet?" he said, looking at Lex, who shook his head. He turned back to Jameel. "The Lion hasn't roared from some time. Are all the guards awake in the city, or has he switched with one of his brothers?"

"They don't normally switch unless absolutely necessary. That I know—I found out the hard way." The four men looked at one another. Jameel reached back and drew his hood up over his head, moving toward the exit.

This was an unwise decision, he knew. Chandra was long dead and he'd taken no other owls in, and sending one of the younger, smaller Assassins was out of the question, no matter how skilled Lex and Amir were. He had to take the risk for the reward, however little reward it might be. Jameel ventured outside.

**Nico, sei impazzito? = Nico, are you mad?**

**Señor, un momento, por favor = Sir, a moment, please.**

**Estupenda! = Stupendous!**

**Buona sera, signori = Good day, sirs**

**Buona notte = Good night**

**Dio mio = My God**

**Grazie = Thank you**

**Di niente = You're welcome**

**Thank you for being so patient and awaiting this fifth chapter, you lot. I'll have more once I get a little free time from end-of-the-year projects to write for the story. :3 As always, enjoy, keep reading, and I'll write.**


	6. Chapter VI

**Disclaimer: **Ubisoft owns AC and its charas, Krono owns Jameel and ML, Badr owns Amir.

**Thanks to Tobi for the review.**

Italy  
2012

Rebecca looked up as she heard the toilet flush. A few minutes later, the door opened. Jameel's bangs dripped as if he'd splashed water on them. Judging by the wet spot on the front of his shirt, he had.

The tall man leaned against the wall, breathing hard. The woman lowered her headphones, pausing in writing down the codes and testing them to see if they had any effect whatsoever. So far, none had.

"Are you okay? Do you need anything, man?"

"Water." She nodded, leaving and returning with a glass of ice water. Jameel chugged it down and staggered back to the back of the room, toppling once more onto the sweat-soaked sheets.

Venice, Italy  
1487

There she was, down below on the street. The woman in the brown woolen cloak strode with a basket on her arm, looking inconspicuous, as if she had a purpose in walking that direction.

It was only when a firm hand, covered in a cold, metal gauntlet, grasped her shoulder that she faltered, her stride broken. Following the arm up to its owner, she could see the man was a giant in leonine armor.

"Good even, _signore_," whispered the woman, mouth having gone dry. She smiled falteringly. "Is there something I can do for you?" The Metal Lion shifted his grip to the woman's wrist.

"What was all that aimless walking for, lovely, as if you didn't know where I was? Where have you been off to at this time of night? To find the Assassins, perhaps?" demanded the man.

"Heavens no!" Shock was evident on the woman's face, which he saw now was not the one he'd expected beneath the hood of the cloak. It was not the voice either, he realized, now that she spoke clearly. The woman had brighter skin in the moonlight, though the green eyes were the same. Her accent was foreign as well. "I'd dare not think of going to those monsters for anything."

Bowing her head, she glanced up at the Lion from beneath her cowl. "_Signore_, please, I must return home. My husband will be suspicious. You see," she said breathlessly, pausing, and then going on, looking guilt-stricken, "t'was merely a night's affair. Now I ask kindly, and with much grace on your behalf, to please release me and allow me to return home." She then tugged violently, trying to break his grip.

Metal Lion immediately released her at the first sign of a tug. _If she pulls too hard, she'll hit herself,_ he thought to himself, disappointed that it didn't happen, but amused nonetheless. He snickered, "Oh, lovely, I'll get you yet." That said, he clawed his way up the side of the nearest building with frightening ease, the axe blade glinting from where it hung in the harness on his back, before he vanished over the rooftops.

_Good riddance,_ the woman thought before turning and heading the way she'd been going before the metal monster's interruption. A pair of eyes trailed her until she was lost in the crowd. Jameel took his eyes away from her, scanning the rooftops. _Shit. Now where is he?_

Ducking his head down, he strode toward the nearest bunch of crowd that, though sparse at this time of night, would give him cover, crowded around a minstrel.

"Agh, this man is tuneless," whispered one of the younger men.

"Tactless, too," his friend added.

"You two want a better sound?" Jameel muttered. The men looked at him and paled before nodding. "If he's a tactless minstrel, kick him in the loins. Brings him back to the choir boy days when he could reach those high octaves."

"_Grazie, signore._ We'll try this." The Assassin vanished into the next crowd, then to the shadows of the building opposite them as he saw Desmond step into the square he'd come from. Lex was with him.

Desmond pressed them to the wall as he saw the Metal Lion moving across the rooftops, circling back toward them. He pointed.

"Hey, isn't that Serenity?"

"Does that cloak look green, Desmond?"

"It's dark, she's far away, go and get her!" He shoved Lex out of the shadows after the woman, watching him dart away. He looked at Amir as the younger man tapped his shoulder. "What?" The barkeep found himself catapulted by a hard kick to where Jameel stood. Moving to him with Amir, he looked at the man. "Hey. It's a little crazy out, isn't it?" He pointed to the men beating up a minstrel with what looked like a lute. "Or is it just me?"

"It is." Jameel did a quick count and fixed his eyes on Desmond. The bartender pointed to their left. Nodding, glad that he wouldn't have to end Altair's bloodline by beating Desmond's head against the wall, he opened his mouth, then froze. "Run." The three tore from the shadows and beat a path back toward the hide out.

Metal Lion put a halt to their progress, vaulting from the roofs and landing squarely in front of the Red Owl, causing the people that had begun to move into the square of their own accord. The crowds scattered with frantic shouts. Jameel stopped in his tracks, almost planting his face on the Templar's breastplate.

"Found more hoods!" the Lion roared with glee. "Time to trim them down to size!" The axe came down. Jameel's jambiya was unsheathed quick as he was able, though it barely blocked the descending blade. The block became a power struggle as the jambiya strained against the might and sharp edge of the axe. Metal Lion did not budge. His strength was shoving the axe down, and the jambiya was going down with it, Jameel almost forced to kneel. The jambiya was cracking. "What's the matter? No spirit tonight? Let's dance, _assassino_!" The last word was said mockingly as Jameel's dagger cracked further.

Desmond's hidden blade _snick_ed out of its sheath as he ran in a full tackle at the Lion's side. He watched the axe shift just a little, then hopped back quickly as he was rounded on, the blade slicing through the air an inch from his face.

Amir moved in behind the Lion, tossing a throwing dagger at a chink he spied between the helmet and the back of the Lion's armor. Desmond drew his own dagger and dashed forward, seeking to wedge it into one of the seams of the armor.

Metal Lion spun away from the ambush with a grace that belied his brute strength. The throwing dagger bounced off his thick pauldron, heading toward Desmond. Desmond jerked to the side, the blade grazing his arm, as his dagger just barely touched Crazy Legs' arm. The axe swung in a counter-attack as the Lion twirled away from the dagger, aiming for Desmond once more. Jameel lunged forward with his cracked dagger, only to have it knocked from his hands by the shaft of the axe. The blade shattered to pieces at the shove from the haft, the useless hilt tumbling off somewhere behind him. Amir was the Lion's next target, the little boy dropping back from a swing meant to spill his innards and hooking his legs around the haft, swinging upward and making a stab toward one of the eye holes in the Lion's helmet. Jameel unsheathed his hidden blade as the Lion grasped Amir by the hood and threw him aside.

As the Lion was busy with swatting away Amir, Jameel struck, aiming for the same crack Amir had between helmet and the back of the armor. The Templar stepped aside, switching the axe to his other hand, grabbed the Assassin's extended arm, and shoved it into the lion-headed pauldron on his left. The top of the jaws came down, wedging Jameel's hand between sharp teeth.

The Red Owl let out a scream of surprise and pain, tugging uselessly in an attempt to free his hand from the trap. Blood oozed between the metal teeth. The madman wasn't finished yet, he soon found. Knocking Desmond aside when he charged at him as if he were no more than a mosquito, he grabbed Jameel's other hand and shoved it into the other pauldron, that one snapping down as well. Another ear-splitting shriek was torn from the man's mouth as he was trapped, almost leaning against his attacker's back.

Metal Lion turned his back to the other Assassins, showing off his new hostage. "Can't backstab me now, can you?"

X x X

The cloaked woman was marching down the street at a quick pace, so that Lex had to run to catch up to her.

"Hey!" Lex called, panting. "Hey, Serenity!" He stopped, realizing even before she turned and faced him that this woman was not the one he was looking for. She was taller than Serenity, and as he looked under the hood he saw she had fairer skin, if beginning to tan.

"My name is not Serenity," said the woman. Lex tilted his head, frowning at the accent.

"_Sprechst du Deutsch?_"

"_Ja, natuerlich._" The woman seemed as confused as he himself was, not even caring at the use of the familiar tense. A gut-twisting scream shattered the air over their heads. Lex felt the blood drain from his body. _No...God, no..._

"_Lauf jetzt! Geh nach Hause!_" he breathed, turning on his heel and racing back toward where the scream had come from.

X x X

_Shit!_ The man looked at their captured comrade and paled. _What the hell do we do now? He'll just use him as a shield; we can't hit him!_

Amir, too, stopped when he saw Jameel pinioned in the trap. _Damn Templar bastard!_ The two looked up as Lex came into view. The small Assassin moved until he stood a few feet in front of the oversized, axe-swinging, armored Templar, sword held loosely in his hand. Jameel, trembling from the pain coursing through his body, felt his heart stop at the sight of the almost friendly smile on the Journeyman's face, hearing the low chuckle coming from the younger man.

"What the hell are you doing?" he gasped.

When Lex spoke, his voice was calm and quiet, with a touch of what sounded like disappointment.

"Taking a hostage? Really? Those rumors about the lion Templar were true. You can't fight a man on your own. You hide behind hired men, tricksy armor, and a war axe. Just a big pussy."

The Lion frowned behind his mask, perplexed.

"I...am not sure what that meant," he began and quickly recovered with, "You are in no position to do anything right now anyway! I have an Assassin in my jaws, and I do not fear to bite down! When I am through with him, his lips will be loosened so much that the Assassins will fall!" His voice rose as to a shout, "I'm on to your plans. _I'm always on to your plans!_" Crazy Legs hefted his axe into battle position. "Come then, I will make my brothers happy when your heads are presented to them in bags! Let me start with you first, little troublemaker!"

As Lex and the Lion spoke, Amir had looked at Desmond and jerked his head in the briefest of motions. The two Assassins moved over to the pauldrons and started to push the jaws apart to free the man. As the teeth parted, Jameel squirmed, gaining his footing properly, but could barely move his hands. More blood flowed from the metal teeth of the lions' heads as he sought to pull them free.

"It means you're a coward. You know, those guys"—Lex put his hand near his head and lowered it to show the levels—"where even shit expelled by the dying is higher ranked than them? You're one of those guys. And you think you're on to my plans? You couldn't be on to someone's plans if they wrote the plans down for you! And you know why you carry that big ass axe around, pussy? Because your dick is about as long as one of the splinters from the haft!"

"The more you insult me, the more blood is lost. I will not be distracted from my goal!"

The two Assassins held the jaws open as Jameel was finally able to pry his hands from the jaws. At that moment, the set Amir was holding open squeaked, his fingers slipping. Crazy Legs moved, forcing the Assassins to release the jaws, trapping Jameel's wrists between the jaws. He swung his axe at the two trying to free his captive, forcing them back. He began to sidestep, eyeing the three.

Unlike his hands, his wrists were protected by his armor bracers. They were all that stood between the jaw traps and his flesh. Not knowing how long they were going to hold, Jameel mustered up his remaining strength and pulled his hands out of the bracers. The Lion whirled on him at the abrupt lift in weight from his back, making a long gash in his chest with the axe as he brought it up in underhanded swing. The blade tore through the leather armor like it was made of paper. That done, he bounded away, leaving Jameel sprawled on the cobbles, blood welling up from his wounds.

Hanging from a second floor window ledge, he called back to the Assassins like a child who'd been called from playing with friends to come home and have dinner, "No matter, I'll deal with you later! The night is _mine_!"

The three Assassins rushed over to the injured one, helping him to his feet. Lex shed his robes quickly, as did Amir, the two supporting him pressing them tightly against the wound on his chest.

"Where's Serenity?" Desmond demanded. "I thought you went to get her."

"It wasn't her. C'mon." Lex started off and stopped, looking at the two, who remained in place. "Come on!" They followed after the time traveler, Amir picking up the pace as they neared Leonardo's shop.

"Why are we here?"

"He has medical supplies," said Amir, unlocking the door. They went inside. The nearest table was wiped down in an instant. Desmond helped Jameel down onto it as the others raided the artist's stores and came back with candles lit and their arms loaded with bandages, needle, thread, a bowl of water, and several small pouches of what smelled to the bartender like spices.

Desmond took off his belt and cinched it around Jameel's wrist to make a tourniquet as Amir did the same with the other hand. Lex mopped the blood away from his hands and chest to see the extent of the damage as he passed Desmond the threaded needle he'd been heating in one of the candle flames. "Get to his chest."

_When did this kid become a surgeon?_ he wondered in the space of a moment as he did what he was told, making the stitches as carefully as possible. Jameel groaned around the paintbrush one of the others had shoved into his mouth as something to clamp down on. Despite how it had been shredded so easily, the armor had partially done its job, taking most of the force from the axe blow. Though the cut spanned from just below the left side of his chest to just below his collarbone, it was shallow. Not fatal, but just as brutal as the bite marks on his hands.

Lex felt his gorge rise at the sight of the punctures in Jameel's hand, palpating them to see what bones were broken. When Desmond finished sewing him shut, Amir smeared a paste he'd made with the herbs and some of the water onto the cut and bandaged Jameel's chest.

Lex went back to Leonardo's workroom and returned with a bowlful of white powder. Pouring the powder into the water, he swirled the mixture into a paste. Desmond winced as he heard bones being pressed back into place; he was forced to join in. The process was arduous, the tension palpable at what it would mean if they set the bones wrong. Lex washed the wounds, disinfecting them as well as he could with some of the paste Amir had made before rinsing that away as well and smearing the plaster on Jameel's hands, wrists, and fingers. He applied another layer of plaster to the one hand before moving and giving the other the same treatment.

The men looked at the one on the table. Jameel was pale as the stuff that had been put over his mutilated hands, the brush on the table. Lex pressed two fingers against his neck, sighing. Alive—unconscious, but alive. They looked toward the window as faint roars sounded from outside. A faint light had begun to lighten the sky above the rooftops across the way. Dawn was approaching.

The Assassins looked from one to the other and back again. Had they really been up all night?

The Sparrow cleaned the drying plaster from his hands as Desmond washed, slathered his arm with the herbal paste, and bandaged it over. Lex moved into the workroom again, looking beyond Amir to where the armor and gas masks hung on what his fatigued brain assumed were either prototype mall mannequins or the dismembered straw-filled versions thereof. Along with the armor were weapons.

The pressure of a hand on his shoulder startled him; his body was too numb and bone ragged to muster enough force to flinch.

"There are beds in the back, Brother." Lex nodded and allowed the Coal Tit to drape his arm across his shoulder and waist, leading him back to the beds. He came back a few minutes later and helped Desmond move the entire table with Jameel to the back room long enough to move the Red Owl onto one of the beds. After setting Jameel down, Desmond dragged the table back to the front room and curled up beneath it, snoring loudly.

In the other room, Amir and Lex curled up on the other free bed, arms wrapped around one another. "Brother?"

"Hmm?" Lex blinked, looking at Amir, who had tears welling in his eyes. Blinking, he realized the ones slipping from his own.

"Tell me a story?" Lex smiled and set his head on the pillow as Amir hugged onto his side, using his chest as a pillow of his own. He nodded, drumming up the first story that came to mind.

"It was in a faraway place, in a big forest. There an old woman was wandering alone. She was a sorceress..."

**Assassino = Assassin**

**Sprechst du Deutsch? = You speak German?**

**Ja, natuerlich. = Yes, of course**

**Lauf jetzt! Geh nach Hause! = Run now! Go home!**

**Two chapters in one day. :3 The muses liked me this Sunday. Hope they help me get the projects done this week too. Have fun reading, all of you. ^^ You keep reading, I'll keep writing.**


	7. Chapter VII

**Disclaimer: **Ubisoft owns Assassin's Creed and its characters, Krono owns Ravenwatch, the Animal Trio, and the Crows, and Badr owns Amir.

**Thanks to Nelly and Tobi for the reviews.**

Venice  
1487

Amir tossed another nutshell at Desmond's head. The annoyance tactic worked, rousing Altair's descendant.

"Eat something." The bartender sighed and rubbed his eyes as he went to raid Leonardo's pantry, retrieving some bread and olive oil. He dipped the bread and ate it listlessly, watching Amir cracking hazelnut shells and popping the nuts in his mouth, leaving the shells to be picked up at a later point in time.

Lex followed the smell on his way back from relieving himself and stole a chunk of oil-soaked bread, trying to savor the taste even as he stuffed it in his mouth and had it down his gullet in a little more than two bites.

"Still not awake, is he?" Desmond's voice came from around a strip of prosciutto. Lex cut off a piece and shook his head. The three Assassins looked at one another and came to the consensus that Jameel wasn't about to wake up anytime soon. _Red Owl took a beating that any of us could've suffered in his place,_ Amir thought. _Me, Brother, Desmond... Heh. Jameel would've loved that, wouldn't he?_ The Eternal Novice smiled to himself at the thought of Jameel stuffing a paint stained cloth in Desmond's mouth to gag him.

"We'll let him sleep," he said after finishing off another nut and passing Lex one when his brother held out his hand. "We've got armor to finish."

It took several days to make adjustments and finish the armor for themselves. Jameel's set was doubly difficult. It took all three of them to measure him, his limp limbs having to be held out from himself more than once. They had to be careful as well and not handle him too roughly, lest the wounds be agitated. None of them really wanted to face a cranky, sore Jameel.

As day drew to dusk once more, Lex pulled on his jack-of-plates vest and tested its fit. It was good, and didn't look half bad, he decided, taking a quick glance in the mirror Leonardo had to one side of the room. He turned to Desmond as the man finished putting on their secret weapon, the hidden pistol. Amir lifted a brow and smirked widely.

"You two are going to enjoy this, aren't you?" was all Lex asked as he braced himself as firmly as he could.

"No, just me," said the barkeep before putting a bullet squarely into his fellow Assassin's chest. The smaller man was catapulted off his feet and slid a ways across the floor to a stop against the far wall.

When the Sparrow hadn't moved for a few moments, Amir sat up, fear roiling in his gut. "You killed him..." Taking a breath, he called, "Brother?"

"Ow," was his answer as Lex lifted up a hand and pulled the bullet from one of the plates, looking at the flattened ball of metal. Dropping his hand down, he lifted it up again in a thumbs up before letting it flop back at his side.

The bed creaking in the silence after the gunshot alerted the three men to the movement from Jameel's room. Pulling Lex to his feet, they moved to crowd around in his room. The Red Owl was awake.

Jameel looked at the three stunned faces, then down at himself. He felt horrible and now he could see just why. His hands felt ravaged and ripped and his chest torn in half. Taking as deep a breath as his healing chest allowed, he asked, "Where am I now?"

"Leonardo's workshop," came from Amir, followed by a small cheep.

"Need anything by way of pain killers or food?" asked Desmond. Jameel didn't answer. _My blade's probably destroyed by now..._ He tiredly stared at the ceiling until two of the Assassins had filed out of the room, leaving the Sparrow standing at his bedside. After a few minutes' silence, he turned to leave.

"Sparrow." Lex stopped, looking back over his shoulder at Jameel. The Assassin gave him a wry semblance of a smile. "Get some rest. You look how I feel."

X x X

_October, 1321_

Durante degli Alighieri. Writer of The Divine Comedy. _What to make of the man who plunged his enemies into Hell, both literal and figurative? An Assassin as skilled with the sword as the pen to make his kills and very good to debate with. His skills at chess could have used some work, though._

I am in Firenze once more, keeping an eye on his Novice, one Domenico Auditore. What else can I do but watch and wait, protecting from the shadows? Guardian I am called and Guardian I am. I don't have my titles for nothing. I feel that this man, this descendant of Altair's, will come to greatness, in this time or sometime beyond him. Perhaps it will be one of his descendants. Who yet knows? Perhaps Amir, but not I.

Little Amir is still alive. If there is an afterlife, inshallah, _his parents are pleased with what he's become. He's taken himself a father and mentor in one polymath Leonardo da Vinci. More than likely he'll take a few more. I'm only surprised he hasn't started to call me_ abu. _Although, he does ask after his brother._

He blinked at the large black spot where the ink had dripped before continuing on.

_Lex. Amir acts as if he'll just tumble from the sky one day. And what if he does? Am I going mad for even thinking on this silly notion? Am I mad already? If I am, I can consider it. If he does fall out of the sky, appearing as he did in Masyaf so long ago, what will I do? Ravenwatch hounds me as ever, only with new employers to feed their coffers. I'll go to Ephesus, see if there are any of those crystals yet remaining there. Perhaps I'll keep a few in supply in case he ever needs to get home. In any case, they would be an interesting thing to study to pass my time... To pass my time? Ha! What the hell am I saying?_

The Master Assassin looked up from reaching over the old entries in his journal as a sound reached his ears. Frowning, he thought a moment. Desmond? No. Amir? No. Both of them were performing a quick patrol. Lex? An obvious no. The Sparrow, from what he could see, was dead to the world, slumped in a chair he'd tipped back against the wall of the workshop's main room.

So who would be coming in at this hour?

Outside, Iron Elephant and Steel Rhino had met like usual. They were discussing something again, but the crowds were too thick and noisy to eavesdrop properly. This being so, the metal-clad men had parted ways, their lackeys following as they began to patrol again, and the cloaked woman had knocked on Leonardo's door.

The woman flinched as a hand reached to where the red remnants of the Lion's metal gauntlets were left on her skin. She looked at the Spaniard and shook her head, giving him a smile. Nico shook his head and kissed her cheek before holding up a finger. Pressing his shoulder to the door, he lifted hard on the latch, allowing the door to open silently.

The woman frowned as they entered, not finding the artist or his little assistant but the strange young man she'd encountered the night before. The two intruders all but flung each other apart as a throwing knife embedded itself in the wood between their heads, just missing flying through the window.

Jameel snarled at them from where he leaned against the doorway to his room, his bound hands protesting fiercely from the motion he'd forced them to complete. The Spaniard already had a rapier drawn and had taken a fencer's stance. The two men shifted their positions, Nico moving to stand in front of the woman and Jameel to crouch in front of Lex, giving the intruders another hard stare.

"_Wer bist du?_" demanded the woman behind Nico. "_Und wo ist Leonardo?_"

"_Ich koennte dich daselbe fragen,_" the tall, dark man said lowly, startling the pair with his lightly accented German. "_Wer bist du, Frau, und was hast du letze woche mit dem Metall Loewen zu tun gehabt?_"

"_Espera, espera, espera, espera!_" interjected the Spaniard, lowering his sword, as both of them opened their mouths in the same space of time. He looked at the woman. "_María, qué es el_"—he waved his hand and let out a breath through his teeth—"_el búho rojo aquí está hablando?_"

"_Oh, wer von uns beiden stolziert draussen umher und versucht dem Feind Tinkturen anzudrehen?_" asked the woman.

"_Quién habla de ser atrapado? Qué te pasa, salir por la noche, cuando las patrullas ese bastardo?_"

"_De dónde me conoces?_" Jameel interrupted suddenly. The Spaniard paled and could only whisper, "_Ay, cajado..._" Jameel rose to his full height and repeated, taking a step or two closer toward them, "_De dónde me conoces, el español?_"

From apparently nowhere, though Jameel suspected her dress' skirts, the woman produced an iron frying pan and brandished it much as the Spaniard had his sword, stating firmly, "_Halte dich von meinem Ehemann fern!_"

"María!" exclaimed Nico.

"_Geh beiseite!_" the Red Owl snapped.

"_**Ahhlass!**_" Three heads snapped round to look at the frazzled young man standing there glaring at them. He looked at Nico, then Maria and Jameel and said to each in turn, "_Cállate, tonto! Halt's maul, Frau! Ahhlass, Jameel!_"

Maria's eyes widened at the phrase. "_Was faellt dir ein so mit mir zu reden, dummer Junge?_"

Lex gripped at his eyes and groaned, "_Liebe Himmel noch mal, Frau, Ich hatte nur drei Stunden Schlaf!_" He looked at them again, this time pleadingly. "For God's sake, all of you, please, shut the fuck up." The woman gave him an apologetic look as Lex managed to teeter and totter his way to the bed Jameel had vacated to protect him, toppling into the still warm covers once there.

The two men looked at one another, Jameel wondering at the Spaniard being very nearly Lex's height, if not a touch smaller.

"So," said the young man, dropping back into Italian, "my name is Nico Valez, and this is my wife, Maria. Maria, this is the man Amir told us about."

"Amir told you of me? I see who you were protecting now," Jameel muttered sourly.

"Oh, don't tan his hide. It's already tanned enough." The Spaniard rolled his eyes. "Last I saw he was trying to drag some buffoon away from the courtesans down at San Marco's _piazza_."

"That man did seem very determined," Maria admitted. Jameel sighed and took a seat at the table, motion for the others to do the same so they could speak cordially of just why they were there. In any case, as cordially as possible after such an introduction.

X x X

"A courtesan. Nice touch." Amir's voice drifted in from the windows. "Our ranks are thin enough with those Templars roaming the streets." He pushed open the door and shut it behind them, still focused on Desmond. "I'm sure after your little tantrum you were going to propose she join us in getting rid of them, right? You didn't know about Theodora, though." Desmond turned; one side of his face emblazoned with a red hand print, and looked at the people sitting at the table.

One was the Spaniard, Nico, sitting half-sprawled in the chair. Opposite him was a tall woman, almost as tall as himself. Her long, light brown hair hung down in ringlets to her shoulders, green eyes looking at him from a lightly tanned face, brows raised, though not enough to wrinkle her forehead.

Upon seeing the couple, Amir let out a squealing "Maria!" and flung himself onto the woman's lap, hugging her around the neck, giving excited little cheeps. "Maria, did you bring me pancakes?" A chirp followed the question.

"No, little one, we didn't," said the woman, "but we brought something else." Desmond looked as she took up a basket carefully from beside her seat and uncovered it. The barkeep stared. _Baby in a basket?_ The little girl inside the basket yawned, opening her eyes and looking at Amir. She smiled a toothless baby's smile, at which Amir trilled and babbled in Italian so rapid Desmond had trouble keeping up with it, pressing his nose against the baby's.

"Nadya!" Amir finally said, wiggling on Maria's lap. The Eagle moved further into the room, leaving the others to speak with one another as he peered inside the bedroom. Lex lay on the bed, hair rumpled from sleep, snoring softly. Jameel sat with a book in his lap; it took a moment for Desmond to realize the script was the familiar scrawl of Arabic.

As he was about to greet the men, the door was flung open. Groaning in annoyance, Desmond turned to find someone he least expected.

Serenity panted, looking up at the little family clustered in the main room and giving them a sneer before the Eagle appeared in her line of sight. She then began speaking a string of Italian so quickly the man wasn't sure if even the hyperactive Coal Tit understood her, her braided hair swinging back and forth as she began to pace the floor right to left to right again.

"What?" came out of his mouth as he was finally able to get a word in edgewise between her rantings, bolting the door. Lex, who'd looked into the room, sighed and looked back at Jameel again, who'd tucked his book into a small pouch at his waist. The Red Owl gave him a tired look in return, seeing the Sparrow looked none the better as they said in unison, "Serenity's back."

Amir quickly informed her of the situation. Serenity burst into laughter, calming down enough to say, "Templars are on the move and closing in." She was directing it to Amir, but faced Desmond with a smirk. For what reason, the Eagle couldn't say. "The closest friend of ours is Mr. Elephant."

The two Assassins went into the workroom and strapped on their armor. As Desmond slipped his new weapons on, Amir as well, the Coal Tit brought the armor for Jameel and Lex. When he returned to the main room, Desmond found Serenity staring at the couple as they conversed. Maria gave the other woman the Evil Eye several times as Nico bent down and placed a kiss on Nadya's forehead, then kissed his wife gently on the lips.

"_Geh nach Hause mit Nadya, meine Herzallerliebste,_" he whispered, folding his arms around the taller woman. "_Ich wille kommen._" He smiled, touching her cheek and patting his belt where his sword hung. "_Es una promesa._" Maria nodded and lifted up the basket gently, hurrying out the door.

"Thanks for leading them straight to us, by the way," sighed the barkeep. Serenity stopped laughing and glared at him.

"I didn't lead them here. I just happened to be in the same place they were patrolling. You do know they patrol the city, yes? One of them walked into me and the rest chased me halfway across the city. I was lucky they were distracted by something, or else I'd have to use our favorite place to escape." Desmond made a face at the subtle hint toward the canals.

In the bedroom, Lex finished helping Jameel slide on the new armor, fastening the vest shut.

"It looks good on you."

"On you as well, little bird."

"Hey, don't worry, we're not gonna be buried in them." Jameel smirked and shook his head. Wincing, he pressed one of his plastered hands to his face, shutting his eyes. "What's wrong?"

Jameel tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling. "Do you have any painkillers?" Lex nodded and left the room, returning with a small bag of white powder and a cup of hot water with a weak tea mixed in.

"Swallow it down quickly and it won't taste as much like shit." Jameel downed the powder and the tea in several gulps. Pulling the cup away, he made a face and set it on the bed.

"That was awful. Why does it taste like vinegar?"

"So the aspirin doesn't upset your stomach as much." Jameel looked up as he heard a voice from outside barking orders, a few dozen metal-clad feet moving outside. He glanced at Lex, who moved to the front of the workshop.

"All right," Desmond was saying to Serenity, looking out the window from the corner of his eye. "Are you gonna stay and help us, or are you gonna help with Jameel?"

"So long as I get blood I don't care where I am," Serenity replied, running a whetstone over her blade. Cleaning the blade on her tunic, she flicked it in and out before sheathing it once more. Amir looked at his brother questioningly. Lex nodded slightly. The boy went back to the room Jameel was in.

"Can you run?" Lex heard Amir ask.

"I can walk, I can run, but I cannot grab anything."

Tearing himself away from the conversation in the back, he looked at Desmond.

"What's the plan, boss?"

"Kill as many as you can." Desmond slipped on his mask. "And watch out for those bombs." The two Assassins looked at Nico as the Spaniard tied a rag over his mouth. Lex tied the mask snugly over his own mouth as Nico nodded toward them and slipped into the workroom.

The time travelers jerked their heads around as Serenity's lips moved into a crazy sort of smile as she said, "With pleasure." Then she was rushing to the door. Desmond jerked his fingers toward the ceiling quickly. Lex hurried after Nico, watching as the young man dropped down to the alley below. He in turn scrabbled onto the roof. The man turned his gaze back to the woman, who had charged out the door.

His blood ran cold. It had gone quiet outside. Dead quiet.

"No, stop!" He raced toward the door, trying to catch the woman heading into the street. "Idiot! Stop!"

Bomb arrows flew! Things exploded. Wooden carts and crates abandoned by the people who'd carried and pulled them were lit on fire. Glass shards flew! Screams were heard. They were waiting for them to come out!

The Sparrow almost fell off the sill, grasping at the almost frictionless tiles and finally digging his nails between them to keep himself upright as he heard Desmond shout. A muffled "Shit!" left his mouth as he ducked a flying piece of debris. _What the hell's gone wrong now?_

One of the archers tossed down a drug bomb right by the door; Desmond slammed the door and threw himself to one side, stuffing the nearest bunch of rags under the bottom crack of the jamb and ran upstairs. He stepped onto the sill and climbed up onto the roof. The Eagle glanced at the Sparrow. The other time traveler had ducked behind the slope of the roof, but evidently not before some shrapnel had had a chance to find him—glass, splinters, and bits of tile speckled his arms and shoulders.

"You good?"

"What?"

"I said"—Desmond watched the younger man squint as if trying to read his lips—"are you good?"

"Fine! Where's Serenity?" The man pointed to the street below; the two peered over the roof.

Inside the workshop, Amir put one of the masks on Jameel and helped him out of a side entrance and into the streets behind the workshop. Glancing around, he hurried on with him leaning on his shoulder. He hoped the others got down before anymore weapons had the chance to do damage to the structure. Babbo _will be furious if his works are destroyed! They'd better get out of there before they ravage his workshop any further, or I'll come back and drag them out of there!_

Atop the roof, the two younger Assassins were pinned down. Desmond pulled a large piece of glass out of his arm as they ducked again. A bit of tile flew up and cut a line through the Journeyman's scalp. He swore violently, dashing the blood off his cheek with his sleeve, before saying, "We have to get that idiot girl and get the hell out of here, even if she is dead."

"Tell me something I don't know, asshole!" Desmond yelled back of the succeeding explosion on the roof beside theirs. The time travelers then vaulted over their shelter and down onto the street below. Desmond crossed the distance between himself and the downed female in two strides and doubled back just as quickly as the Sparrow gave cover fire. A satisfying squawk of a yell was heard; one of the archers toppled from his position. The small Assassin hurried over and scooped up his cache of bombs, dodging what splintering glass arrows he could. The two hurried off again, using the streets and the roofs, the woman slung over Desmond's shoulder.

The last of the glass arrows broke as the archers stopped firing, seeing one of their own brought low. The fired a few bomb arrows after the time travelers, but only as a cautious cover to their retreat as the Beaks in Black vanished over the rooftops.

X x X

Jameel was forced to stop short as Amir dug his heels in and brought them to a halt in an alley. Steel Rhino happened to be in their way, having managed to fit himself into the alley. They whirled around. Behind them was Iron Elephant, planting his shield in front of him, adding to the blockade his bulk provided with the nasty nest of spikes.

"Where do you two think you're going?" This from the Rhino as he slammed his halberd against the ground in an intimidation display. The Coal Tit drew himself to his full height, puffing out his cheeks and chest, challenging the display.

"Through you," he retorted, hidden blade springing from its sheath. The Templar cackled at the little retaliatory show, jerking his head up as two shadows appeared from over his head like great birds. Desmond and Lex fell toward him, their own wrist blades at the ready. The Rhino charged toward the grounded Assassins.

Jameel flattened himself against the wall, barely having enough room to turn his head so as not to be skewered on the halberd or cut by the horns. After sliding to a stop, nearly hitting his brother, the Templar turned and charged the other direction. Amir hopped over him easily as Desmond and Lex too pressed themselves to the walls, breathing heavily as the troops came to reinforce the two men they were trapped between in what felt to the time travelers like some twisted game of Pong.

"Damn it!" Desmond shouted as he stabbed one of the guards in the eye and moved away from the oncoming halberd with a quick hop. Amir shoved the weapon aside with his blade as it was swung at him in the Rhino's turning, rolling to the right of one of the guard's weapons. Leaping forward, he stabbed the metal blade deep into his throat and ripped it free again.

Lex ducked a swing from one of the guards and kicked him back, tossing one of his throwing knives into the man's visor. He toppled to the ground, adding to the mass of bodies taking up the precious space within the alley.

The Assassins jumped as several of the guards were tossed backward, their weapons scattering across the cobbles.

"_Victoria de los Asesinos!_" Several of the guards peeled away to chase the Spaniard and were promptly knocked back by another set of grenades, screams heard even down the street.

"Hey, Des!" Desmond caught the bomb as Lex tossed it to him. The Sparrow then threw one of the bombs at the Elephant as Desmond turned and planted his own into the Rhino's face as the man turned for another charge. As the smoke began to spew from the bombs, the Ravenwatch archers appeared again, throwing poisoned darts down upon the Assassins.

_Cowards! Letting poison do the work for them!_ Jameel's thoughts were cut off as Amir grabbed him by the belt and jumped onto the roof with him.

"Thank you," he panted. "Now _run_!" Desmond jumped up, kicking off the wall and snagging the edge, scrambling up after them. The Sparrow ducked another round of darts as he took a running jump and grabbed the others' hands, hauled up by the others.

Jameel ran across the rooftops, jumping as an arrow set off an explosion near him. "Go, go, go!" he called to Amir. He all but kicked Desmond along as he shouted, "Run like hell!" The man was staggering. He dropped back next to Lex, who was keeping an eye on their rear as they went.

"How far back are they?" he asked, picking up his pace and landing on another roof. Jameel came up beside him again a second later.

"They're gaining!"

The Assassins pressed on. The arrows clattering at their heels soon became not the serrated, pronged heads of the Watch but the shoddy arrows of the Venetian rooftop guardsmen. Circling around, they headed back to the hide out, taking the water entrance this time.

Desmond limped between Lex and Amir as they followed Jameel into the main part of the Lair. The bartender panted and shook; he dropped Serenity unceremoniously on the floor as soon as they reached solid flooring and took the seat Amir offered him.

"Why did they retreat?" the man wondered as Amir inspected the wound on his leg. The dart stuck in sideways, but had only pierced the upper layer of skin. Pulling it out caused a bigger fuss from Desmond than running with it in his leg had, his wails earning him a "Novice" from the Eternal Novice as he put a small bandage on his thigh.

The Sparrow trudged up through the canal water and took a seat against the wall. Untying his boots, he pulled off his wet socks and left them to dry with the boots, slipping the jack of plates vest from around his shoulders and wiping the sweat from his face with his tunic.

"That sucked."

"Biggest understatement of the day."

Jameel took a seat beside him on the pallet that was their bed in the Lair, catching his breath.

"I think they saw your new weapon." Lex looked at him, shutting his eyes and tilting his head back against the wall with a murmured oath of some sort. The Master Assassin nudged him with a knee, waiting until the Sparrow had opened his eyes partway to continue. "I need to ask you, Lex. Where did your guns go when we were in their castle?"

Lex shut his eyes again as a bead of sweat rolled into one and made it water, sighing, "I threw 'em down a waterfall. They disappeared in the pool. They couldn't have found them."

"And what if they did? What then?" Desmond hissed as Amir slathered some of the last of their disinfectant paste on a burn.

"Knowing their prowess with weapons," Jameel answered, "they'd turn it into something much more dangerous than their current weapons in no time at all." He made to pass a hand over his eyes and glared at the plaster cast preventing him from doing so. "Getting killed by something we cannot see or know about ourselves is every Assassin's nightmare."

"Great job, Lex." Desmond walked past toward the room with the beds, making to smack him upside it but refraining for the wound on his head. "Have you noticed your arms look like shit?"

"Yeah." Lex glanced at where his arms lay almost uselessly in his lap. "I'll get to them in a minute."

Amir inspected a cut on his shoulder absently as he looked at Jameel. "How are your hands? Have the casts been damaged?"

"The casts have not been damaged. I took extra care when traveling on the roof." He gently lowered his hands into his lap, making sure they weren't in an uncomfortable position. Jameel eyeballed Amir's wound. "I hope whatever struck you wasn't poisoned."

"As do I." The boy bound his wound with a bandage as the younger of the time travelers began plucking debris from the battle out of his arms and dropping the pieces in a little bloodied pile. "I'll wake up Desmond and relieve you two in a few hours." He stood and went to the back room.

Jameel did not respond. Instead, he sat against the wall, not comfortable but not irritated, studying his own wounds. They were mostly scrapes from the debris of battle, a jagged cut here or there but nothing serious as the others had had. He looked down as he felt a head against his arm, shifting it enough to allow Lex to pillow his head on his side. Leaning his head back, he began to think himself to sleep, much as he had many times before.

_We made it out alive. That's the important thing. There are too many Templars and so few Assassins..._

Five minutes later, or what felt like that amount of time, someone, something, some cosmic force that could be called Fate, God, or Karma decided at that moment to dislike the two men. Serenity awoke.

"Ugh!" The woman stood and glowered at the two, feeling all the cuts and bruises on her body and the pain of the blow to the head she'd received. Then she saw where she was. "What the hell? Why are you bloody, what happened to your hands, and why are we back here? What happened to the others? What about attacking the Templars?" She folded her arms.

The Red Owl groaned his displeasure. _Of all the—__**Why?**__ Why did she have to wake up __**now**__?_ The look on his face changed from relatively peaceful to a scowl.

"Plan nearly failed," he informed her, his voice rising with each word he spoke. "If it had failed, we would all be dead or captured! Pick which one you prefer!" He didn't even bother to move his head from where it rested, knowing Lex had sat up from the lack of weight on his side. "Lex, pick out the rest of your wounds. We don't want them getting infected." The Sparrow nodded blearily and turned his arm to pick out a chip of cobblestone.

Serenity frowned and folded her arms, returning Jameel's scowl openly. She watched the runty Assassin taking a few pieces of tile from his arms and decided he was the easier of the two to badger.

"It's a wonder you're not dead," she commented dryly with the added bonus of a snort. "Or still around as an Assassin." The Venetian woman moved over to the boy. _What good is this little lap dog anyway?_ She prodded his head. A pained expression took hold of his face for a moment, a little blood leaking out from the crust that had cracked beneath her touch, a gasp escaping his lips.

"That's enough, woman! You are fortunate aren't in working condition right now."

"Or what, Jameel? He's the most wounded out of any of us, even myself, from that attack—"

"We have just survived an attack that would have killed an entire group of well-trained Assassins! In one trap!" She made to open her mouth again to protest, but was cut off by a look from him that served in place of the hand he wasn't able to wave. "We're already wounded and battered enough as is. Don't make matters worse."

Serenity frowned and marched toward the back room.

"Well, boys, how are things going?"

"Shut up, you stupid broad!" Desmond screamed, but his voice was drowned out by a hail of bullets that zipped past the woman's head and sank into the wall of the Lair. Amir lowered his arm with the hidden gun and glared at the female from beneath his peaked hook.

"Get. Out." She obeyed, moving back down the hall.

Lex shook the ringing from his ears and touched the reopened cut on his head. "Ow." He sighed and gave it a quick rub down with some of the disinfectant, binding it off and resting his head back down onto the Red Owl. Jameel glared at Serenity as the woman went to sleep in one of the chairs at the table's far side.

"_Sharmoota,_" he hissed. There was no need to taunt Lex for his wounds, much less to prod at them as if they were some spectacle to be goggled at and poked. If his hands hadn't been wrapped up, he would have throttled the woman then and there. _Genius devices. Better than amputation. Maybe Amir will do that for me. Or Desmond. Or both. That would make my day._

Settling himself comfortably as he could, he rested his head against Lex's and drifted back to sleep.

Above, the day continued like nothing had happened. Quick repairs were started and nearly done for the damage caused by some of the bomb arrows. Guards were being replaced by their comrades, their shifts at an end. Patrols resumed their rounds. The citizens proceeded with their normal lives, or as normal as they would ever be. Nico Valez wondered about this as he was chased about the kitchen by his wife, little Nadya giggling from her basket at her parents' antics as the frying-pan-wielding unholy terror that was the irate-with-worry Maria Valez finally caught up to her husband.

**Inshallah = God willing/hopefully**

**Abu = Father**

**Wer bist du? Und wo ist Leonardo? = Who are you? And where is Leonardo?**

**Ich koennte dich daselbe fragen = I could ask you the same thing.**

**Wer bist du, Frau, und was hast du letzte woche mit dem Metall Loewen zu tan gehabt? = Who are you, woman, and what were you doing last week with the Metal Lion?**

**Espera, espera, espera, espera! María, qué es el—el búho rojo aquí está hablando? = Wait, wait, wait, wait! Maria, what is the—the Red Owl here talking about?**

**Oh, wer von uns beiden stolziert draussen umher und versucht dem Feind Tinkturen anzudrehen? = Oh, who of the two of us struts around out there and tries to sell the enemy potions?**

**Quién habla de ser atrapado? Qué te pasa, salir por la noche, cuando las patrullas ese bastardo? = Who's talking about getting caught? What about you, going out at night when that bastard's patrolling?**

**De dónde me conoces? De dónde me conoces, el español? = How do you know me? How do you know me, Spaniard? (lit. From where do you know me?)**

**Ay, cajado = Oh, fuck.**

**Halte dich von meinem Ehemann fern! = Stay away from my husband!**

**Geh beiseite! = Stand aside!**

**_Ahhlass! _Cállate, tonto! Halt's maul, Frau! Ahhlass, Jameel! = _Shut up! _Shut up, fool! Shut your trap, woman! Shut up, Jameel!**

**Was faellt dir ein so mit mir zu reden, dummer Junge? = What allows you to talk to me this way, stupid boy?**

**Liebe Himmel noch mal, Frau, Ich hatte nur drei Stunden Schlaf! = Heaven's sake, woman, I've only had three hours' sleep!**

**Piazza = square**

**Geh nach Hause mit Nadya, meine Herzallerliebstes. Ich wille kommen. Es una promesa. = Go to the house with Nadya, my sweetheart. I will come. It's a promise.**

**Babbo = Dad/Daddy**

**Victoria de los Asesinos! = Victory for the Assassins!**

**Sharmoota = Bitch**


	8. Chapter VIII

**Disclaimer: **AC and its charas belong to Ubisoft, Krono holds claim to Jameel and Ravenwatch, the Metal Lion, and his Cubs, and Amir belongs to Badr.

**Thanks for the review, Tobs. :3**

Venice  
1487

Lex sat up as sleep finally wore itself out. His head was stinging a little, but not as badly as when Serenity had touched it. He stood and went down the hall, putting on some fresh salve and bandages.

"You're awake," Desmond said when he came back to the main room and found the other time traveler and his little brother seated at the table. Serenity was off to one side from them, gazing at the wall with the tattered Templar flag.

"Yeah. We're gonna need more supplies, bandages and herbs." Serenity shook her head and rolled her eyes at his words. Amir sent her a glare before standing and going to the Sparrow, putting his arms around him and hugging him gently, head resting against his chest. That done, he led Lex back to the place he'd been seated at, helping him to get down again.

Desmond stood and came over to them.

"How's the head?"

"Fucking hurts still. M'tired."

"We'll have to stitch it up soon." Desmond waited for a reaction. The Sparrow only rested his head against the wall. The Eagle sighed and took his seat at the table again. Amir frowned and looked at the Journeyman; his drawn appearance set worry to balling up his guts. He stood and made for the door.

"I'll be back."

"Where do you plan on going, child?" asked Serenity.

"He's going to terminate something," Desmond muttered. "Or didn't you hear his"-putting on a thick Austrian accent-"I'll be back?" While the woman was distracted by the bartender, Amir pulled up his hood and walked up into the streets.

The Rhino's patrols went by first as he walked through the city. The boy slipped into a crowd and pretended to watch one of the myriad minstrels that pervaded the Serene Republic as much as any city. Once they'd gone, he continued on his way, making as circuitous a route as possible to throw off any possible pursuit.

An hour or two later, the Elephant's patrols went by. This time he hid in plain sight, standing at the door of the church and kneeling, bowing his head, taking the worn, wooden crucifix from beneath his robes and holding it between his clasped hands-a pilgrim dressed in the white of penance and purity. A few stopped and gazed at him before continuing on, hearing a foreigner reciting some prayer.

Once the threat was blown over again, he took to his feet and made his way straight to the apothecary shop.

Inside, he found Nico at afternoon _siesta_, breathing softly through his mouth, a little spider crawling toward the interesting orifice. The Assassin reached down and took the spider away gently, placing it outside. At the touch, the apothecary stirred, blinking and squinting before feeling around and finding his spectacles, propped on one elbow.

"You look worn out, little Coal Tit," he said, voice sounding as if he spoke around a throat full of gravel, as Amir lowered his hood.

"As do you, _amico_. Did you sleep besides now?"

"No, Maria kept me up all night."

"Ah. In the good way?"

"In the glorious way. My wife blesses me with each caress." He boosted himself up and popped his neck, touching it automatically with a hand and making a sound of pain.

"Does your old wound pain you?" Amir frowned and stepped forward.

"Many old wounds pain me these days." Nico smiled widely. "Perhaps I'm getting old. Who's to say?" Standing, he made his way to the counter. "What can I do for you, _amigo_? Do you need medicines after our escapades?"

"Are you sure you don't have Second Sight?" The Spaniard laughed and motioned for the Coal Tit to follow, moving to the back room to grind some herbs and bag them for his customer. Amir jerked his head around as the stairs creaked to his right, Maria descending into view. The woman smiled at him softly.

"Our favorite customer. How is that sleepless boy with the awful mouth, the one the Red Owl defended? About nay high?" She held her hand a little above her husband's head.

"Did my brother offend you? I'm sorry." Amir pouted. "He was run ragged with no help from that woman or the other man taking care of the Red Owl. I was left to do all the competent guarding of all of them. Please forgive him."

"I already have, little one." Maria smiled. "But in case he hasn't understood my apology..." She went to one side and returned with her arms laden with a few small vials of herbal oils and a few bricks of soap. Amir skimmed over the words on some of the vials: _Rosenoel_, _Lavendeloel_, _Minzoel_. The young immortal took the satchel from beneath his robes and held it open, letting the apothecary and his wife load him down with their gifts: teas and soaps, oils and vials of salves and lotions, bandages as well, and several spools of thread and a little packet of extra needles. "Forgive me for the smells of the oils, my friend. I've nothing less flowery except this for now." She placed another vial in his bag, this one marked _Olivenoel_.

"I'll have to make sure Desmond doesn't eat that one." The Coal Tit put his arms around the others quickly. "Give Nadya a kiss for me." The couple nodded before going to the door and seeing the little fellow off.

The Assassin had taken off at a run and almost ran into another group of guards in his haste. He backpedaled quickly and bowed his head, crying, "_Mi dispiace, signori!_"

"Watch where you're going!" growled one of the strange new guards. Each had an axe to carry, each sported a helm in the shape of a cat's head. Where were they going? Amir could only guess as they walked on in a tight group again, their heads turning from side to side nearly constantly. Breathing a notch faster than before, he continued on to the hide out.

"Metal Lion has queened apparently," he said once down in the main room. "There are cat-headed men running around." Desmond stared at him for a while before coming to inspect the supplies Amir was putting on the end of the table.

"Attar of roses?" he asked in Arabic. "Really, Amir?" Amir nodded and grabbed a handful of grapes, devouring them as Desmond took up a needle and some of the thread, moving toward where the Sparrow lay. The next seconds were a blur of motion as Desmond's belt was snagged by the black-and-white blur, stumbling back from the Coal Tit as he moved to push him from the front. "What the hell're you doing, kid?"

"You're not going to hurt Brother!"

"What the-I'm only going to-"

"You're not going to do anything to him! I'm going to do it!" Amir glared at him outright. Desmond worked his mouth lamely until he found his voice again.

"Look, I've sewn up a lot of guys after bar fights in my time and-"

"My brother! Mine, not yours! _Mein!_" He shoved Desmond forcefully into a chair, faces nose to nose. "I fix him. Not you." The barkeep stared as the teen padded over to where Lex lay and knelt, leaning down to press a kiss softly to each of his cheeks. Lex opened his eyes, looking at the boy who gazed down at him intensely, fingers stroking his cheek, running over his lips.

Amir reached down and took off his belt, slipping it into Lex's mouth. The Sparrow closed his teeth over the gag as the other immortal removed the bandages from around his head. "_Sei still, Bruderherz._" Lex gasped as the needle pierced his skin, giving a cry he couldn't hold back as he shut his eyes tight and clenched his fists. "Shhh. _Sei still, Bruderherz, sei still. Du bist sicher mit mir._" Amir's lips were pressed to his ear, one hand beneath his head, cradling it gently as he worked. "_Ich bin dein Prinz, herzallerliebster Bruder, und Ich bin mit dir. Du bist immer sicher in meinem Armen._"

Lex's whimpers sank to exhausted panting as the Coal Tit finally finished his work, cutting the excess thread away. Brushing the sweat from his brother's cheeks, forehead, and neck, he leaned down and kissed his chest over his heart, then pecked his lips, pressing his lips to his brow afterward, the pain-flushed face held between his dark hands carefully as if the pallor patches upon it were porcelain instead of flesh and bone. Moving to the wardrobe, he found a brown, woolen cloak and used it as a blanket to cover the shivering Journeyman, stroking his cheek a final time before allowing him to slip into sleep.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully into the next.

X x X

Serenity watched the other Assassins languidly from where she sat at the table, yawning and drumming her fingers against the table top. She was increasingly bored with waiting for the others to heal and vocalized it with increasing volume.

"Come, one of you must be stable enough to do something with me," she finally groaned.

"Shut up, woman." The muttered order came from Jameel, who was either half awake, awake, or speaking in his sleep. It was difficult to tell with his hood drawn over his eyes. Either way, it worked. She clammed up. The other Assassins looked at her from their various seats around the room. "Keep it shut until you have something good to say, woman."

Lex went to the table and piled a plate full of some of their remaining fruit and some bread along with some of the tea that had been left to cool. He peeked under the Red Owl's hood.

"Think you can manage some food?" Jameel nodded, one brow arching upwards as Lex broke off some of the bread and stuffed some fruit into the fold, holding it out to him. Sighing, he opened his mouth, allowing the younger man to feed him. Lex smiled as he finished off the meal, holding the cup so he could sip the tea.

"Why does this smell like flowers?"

"It's to help fight infection."

"Give me some garlic if you want that to happen." Jameel shook his head and laid back down.

"Oh, I'm sorry. D'you prefer garlic breath to flower breath?" The Master Assassin looked at him as he took one of the other gifts given by the apothecary and his wife from the basket and began scrubbing at his mouth with a finger. He slowed in the scrubbing, looking at Amir, Serenity, and Jameel. "Wha'? Haven' you seen anybody brush their teeth before?"

"Just keep doing it with your right hand," Jameel muttered. "Otherwise, I would say you and the regular inhabitants of this city have become equally disgusting."

"So," Lex said, spitting into the canal when he was through with the brushing, "does anybody remember that Ezio guy? Just had a thought about him. Namely, shouldn't we go look for him?"

"We'll have to kill the Cat before we can get any recruits," Desmond reminded him.

"And how will we do that? We don't know where he goes at night or in the day."

"Bait him maybe?" Lex suggested.

"That's one of the stupidest ideas you've had since we got here," Desmond retorted.

Their voices faded into a buzzing noise as Jameel bowed his head against his tucked up knees. He couldn't think. His head hurt. _I must have hit it hard when I escaped those traps. Harder than I realized. Why? Why this headache? Damn it._ He squeezed his lids shut, curling tighter so that his hood covered his head, and still the backs of his eyes burned as if some little miniscule monster was driving a dagger into the backs of them from inside his skull.

Amir frowned as he watched the Red Owl.

"We'll try and find Ezio and scope out Lion." Desmond stood and went off with Serenity, having Lex by the arm to bring him after them. The two men frowned as the Sparrow was brought out of the hide out, but then returned their attention to one another.

"Dammit," Jameel swore. "Splitting headache." He didn't move from his position. It felt like his eyes were on fire. His brain refused to register anything other than the pain at the current time. His skull felt like it was going to fragment into pieces and simply fall to the floor around him. _I didn't hit my head hard enough on the cobbles! Not enough to cause this, I'm sure! Seems sure isn't enough..._

Amir's brows pinched together over his nose as he reverted to Arabic, "Did you hit your head?" It would only worsen their circumstances if there was some internal injury within the Red Owl's head.

"I must have done so when trying to escape those traps." Jameel curled tighter, pressing the casts to his face. His eyes burned now like someone had placed hot coals on them. He didn't want to open his eyes for fear it would only make things worse. His brain was felt like it was going to leak out of his ears if that happened. _Make it stop!_ Bismillah, _end this misery! Why does this pain continue?_

Amir's mind raced, coming up with any and every possibility so that he was now giving a soft whine, grasping his head in both hands. _Now my head is starting to hurt._

Jameel groaned in agony, curling into an almost fetal position in hopes of somehow making it stop. It didn't. The splitting grip that held his skull wasn't budging in the slightest. He risked opening his eyes and let out a shriek, drawing his hood tighter over his face.

"Here, come here." The other immortal pulled Jameel over to him and covered his head with the cloak that had covered Lex as he slept to shade his eyes. Amir then settled his fingers against the man's temples and rubbed them in slow, counterclockwise circles.

The Red Owl relaxed, the headache partially easing. It helped-not by much, but it helped. His eyes still burned, though. _Too bright..._

"Thank you," he managed.

"No thanks are necessary. How's your head now?"

"It still feels like it's going to split. Why is it so bright here?" It was getting to where he didn't want to move, the pain was so great. _Damned Templars._

"It's not bright..." Amir's frown deepened before he stood and went to the torches, extinguishing them one by one until only one at the far back of the last room down the hall was lit. "Well, Owl?"

"That's better, but my eyes burn still." He didn't bother to move from where he sat, only to lift his head. Everything in the room was clear as noon daylight. Every detail of the area vivid. Amir stared at the man's eyes, close as he was enough to see the massive pupils, as though Jameel had smoked a colossal amount of hash, the icy blue rings of his irises having acquired what appeared to be a glow. No, not only an appearance. It was a glow, a bright, frigid blue. "Amir, I see everything clearly. Is it daylight?"

The Coal Tit shook his head, searched for his voice, and found it.

"No, no, it's not daylight. I've put all the lights out." Taking a breath, he decided to be frank about this newest development. "Jameel, your eyes are glowing."

"WHAT?"

X x X

The woman looked over at the two men. The three Assassins' hoods were up, weapons at the ready as they hurried over the roofs and through the streets toward the building that housed the Venetian Courtesans Guild house. _I hope they're grateful. After all, I'm leading the way!_

The two men pulled up sharply as Serenity stopped to get her bearings.

"Are you lost?" Lex asked.

"Yes."

"How can you be lost?" demanded Desmond.

"Because I haven't passed this way in a while. Now let me think!" Desmond and Lex looked at each other before trying to pierce the gloom around them that was only illuminated by the moon and the eerily blue and black ripples on the walls from water in the canals.

After what felt like a good fifteen minutes, the woman made up her mind and led them on. She knocked at the door, waited a few minutes, and knocked again. No one answered.

Hurrying up the building to the roof, she said, "There's another place to try. Come!" The time travelers sighed and beat a path after her. Coming to the roof of the Venetian Thieves Guild house, they dropped into the courtyard by way of some scaffolding, Lex having some difficulty as the drops between struts were very long, and watched as Serenity repeated the knocking process.

"What's that about insane people and trying the same thing over and over expecting different results?" Desmond wondered aloud as they climbed to the roof again and down to the street.

"Let's head back," was all the reply he garnered.

"Thank God." Desmond turned and hurried back the way they'd come, the others following him, Serenity moving between him and Lex.

Desmond slid to a stop and took a sharp turn toward the docks as a roar sounded, putting his boots through their paces as he pounded down the cobbles. Lex gagged, having been about to go after him and finding his hood snagged, jerking him to a halt. He looked at the woman.

"What?"

"Did you not hear that roar? It was coming from ahead of us. Hide yourself here. I'll make sure no one has Desmond." She hurried after the Eagle. Lex opened his mouth to protest, only to throw himself behind a cluster of barrels as a cat-headed shape climbed into view on the nearest rooftop.

X x X

"I'd be condemned as a fiend if anyone saw this." He covered his eyes again, the blue glow highlighting the white plaster. _They still burn! Why do they burn so much? There has to be something to make this damned unbearable burning sensation stop! Oh..._ Ya Rab_, my eyes are glowing... My eyes are glowing. I'm a freak... If anyone sees this, I'll be labeled a monster._

He pressed his face into his arms, shutting his eyes. I'm a monster. My eyes only confirm it now.

"Jameel." Amir's firm voice forced his head to rise. "We're Assassins. No one sees us anyway but our allies, and those that do die. No one of us will condemn you." The boy's eyes widened a little. "Perhaps it only works in the dark anyway."

As Jameel watched Amir speak, the burning slowly faded. As it did, his vision faded as well. The headache winked out of existence. He sighed and lowered his head to his arms again.

"Light the torches. I can't see in the dark now."

The Coal Tit rekindled the torches and looked at him, smiling slightly.

"One consolation: your headache is gone."

"How do you know my headache is gone?"

Amir shrugged. "You relaxed." He took a seat beside him. "How will you be able to activate it, though?"

"I'm not sure. I'll have to practice." Jameel looked up as a roar outside caught his attention. Metal Lion was back out to play. Amir looked toward the exit at the roar, then doused the torches again.

"No harm in starting now."

Jameel pondered for a moment, then closed his eyes and attempted to use his new found power.

_I want to see them when they return..._

X x X

Several of the cat-headed men fanned out across the docks in answer to the roar, beginning to search thoroughly through the boats, netting, and crates left by the workmen. Lex moved back as one of the cat men began to come his way, slipping off the dock and into the chilly water. Taking a long breath, he dove low beneath the surface and swam to the nearest canal entrance.

X x X

The two Assassins thundered down the stairs and into the hide out, only to run up against solid blackness. They stopped stiff.

"Amir? Jameel?" Desmond whispered, then almost screamed as a hand covered his mouth. Shame crept over him a second later as they were hauled back toward the only lit room in the place. "What's up with that? Where's Jameel?" Amir jerked his chin toward the darkness. The others looked.

A pair of icy rings appeared in the midst of the darkness.

"I see you."

Any witty movie reference that was coming to the man's tongue immediately died in his throat. Amir watched the rigid figure of Desmond, then looked toward Serenity as she took a step back. His face took on a scowl.

"Where is my brother?"

Another roar sounded off, stalling whatever answer was coming from the pair. There were primal shouts in return, forming a macabre call and response song across the city. _He has his own men now._ Jameel clenched his fists. _One was bad, but now he's many! And these fools have lost..._ He threw up his hands. _I need to heal and everybody else needs to keep their asses out of trouble! This is fast becoming annoying, frustrating, and tedious!_

"Agh..." Desmond gagged as he took in a deep breath. "What's that smell? It smells like something crawled in here and died."

"I really hate both of you right now," came an irate, low voice as the soft squishing of boots sounded from the darkness. "Huh? What's-" A pause. It lengthened. Then, "Whoa..." The squishing resumed and Lex came into the light, looking and smelling like he'd been dumped in someone's septic tank. He raised his hands and let two birds fly. Lex lowered his hands and sighed, walking back down the hall, swearing as he ran into a wall. The sound of wet palms slapping stone came to them before the door to the washroom was shut with a bang.

"Well, seems you won't be doing anything with that boy soon, Jameel," said Serenity. The Coal Tit and Eagle looked at her sideways before Amir took the torch down from the wall.

"The lights are coming back on," he warned as he lit the torches and returned the original to its sconce.

Jameel immediately shut his eyes at the warning, sighing as the slight burning behind them dimmed away to nothing. Opening his eyes again once the torches were all lit, he directed a very sour look at both Desmond and Serenity. Desmond swallowed; the Red Owl was clearly unhappy. _Lex had to dive in the canals, which means one of them must've left him behind._

"Which one of you was it?" The two stared at him, barely hearing the low question that was almost a whisper. "Which one of you left him behind?"

There was a long moment of silence as Desmond looked at Serenity, who was focused on Jameel and Amir and spared him just a glance. It was broken only by the crackling of the torches and what sounded like sandpaper scouring wood. As Desmond was ruefully aware, it would take nothing less to get the smell out of one's robes.

"I thought he was behind me with Serenity," the bartender answered.

The female would have willed her glare into throwing knives had the power been hers.

"Under normal circumstances, would his being left behind be of any consequence?" She drew herself up to her full height. "Is it only a problem because of our extraordinary position, or is it that you've become so invested in this boy that you've lost sight of our ultimate aim? If the first, he's failed as an Assassin. He lacks any sense of stealth, cannot handle himself in a fight-I have heard how he hung back while the others fought and you were injured, almost killed! If the second, he merely curries favor from you by being your lap dog, seated on a cushioned pedestal." This last was said with a hint of a disgusted look. "Why bother with him, Jameel? Answer me that."

Desmond grabbed Amir quickly as the Coal Tit strode toward the woman, his hidden blade free of its sheath. The boy flailed as he was lifted from the floor, beginning to yell in Arabic before the man covered his mouth. The barkeep made a noise of pain as Amir bit his hand savagely, but only hissed at him to shut up as he watched Jameel.

The Red Owl was almost speechless with rage, his fingers wanting to ball into fists, the spasms of muscle memory only sending pain through his hands and agitating him further. _She needs a good punch to the mouth! She needs to be throttled! I would stone her myself if my hands worked at this time, insolent wench! Clearly she could find some reason to have a grudge against everyone in this room but me, so why not lump me in with the others and make it easy on herself?_

"You forget the last tenet of the Creed." Jameel ground the words out through his teeth. "Do not compromise the Brotherhood. Had Lex been left out there any longer, he would have been captured and made to talk. With their methods, he'd tell them everything, compromising us all in the process with your unwitting aid, and then they would have slit this throat and left his body for us as a present! We all would be under the mercy of that mad bastard and his guard!"

"I have not forgotten the Creed! And if that boy had any knowledge of it, he'd have slit his own throat before the guard could take him!"

Desmond gawked at the woman, Amir having gone slack in his grip after her exclamation, as well and truly stunned as the man holding him. The entire hide out had become graveyard quiet, the atmosphere just as heavy. The furious scrubbing had been silenced. Even the torchlight appeared to burn in quiet awe at the audacity of the remark.

Jameel's face was livid, his body trembling from head to foot. Desmond swore he could check his pulse from where he stood. _If she keeps this up, she's gonna find herself knocked out, or worse. Would Jameel kill her? Amir would. If she's not killed, she's gonna be kept on a very short leash, I guess._ He held Amir tighter as the boy began to squirm. _Seems like the type of girl who goes to tattle on big bro to dad, but who's dad in this situation?_

"I was captured once." The words were almost growled from deep in Jameel's throat, his accent prominent, as if any moment he would slip back into his native tongue. "I did not talk, no matter what they did. After killing one of their guards, I disguised myself, gathered my stolen equipment, and simply walked out the door." He pointed to the washroom door with one of his plastered hands. "Lex does not have the kind of discipline to survive such treatment as I was subjected to. And none of us would be good to the cause if we're dead!" His shout echoed around the hall and was allowed to die before he continued, "We have so few Assassins as is! We need to rescue our own if we're even to gain ground against the Trio! You're not helping by pointing fingers and making accusations!" He spat on the floor in front of her feet. "Now take yourself from my sight, woman. Sharpen your equipment, train, go bleed from your crotch in the corner, but whatever you do, do it away from me!"

Serenity stared at him. She was unable to picture the strong man before her ever being captured, much less tortured. The information had done its job of shutting her up. Bowing her head, she only murmured, "As you say."

Desmond released Amir slowly. The minute he was freed, the boy strode to the woman and put a hard right into her face, putting her flat on her back. The woman sat up, looking at the Red Owl. "I hope you enjoyed that because it will not happen again."

Jameel turned on his heel and strode to the washroom door, slipping Amir a relieved look as he passed, pushing it open with his shoulder and entering the steamy room.

Lex sat in the small tub, water up to mid chest, scrubbing at his skin furiously, some patches scrubbed an almost bloody raw. He glanced up at Jameel and returned to his scrubbing.

"What're you doing here?" He poured some more of the olive oil onto the rag he was using and began to scrub some more. "It's not like you can help me bathe. You can't get those casts wet." Jameel moved over to the tub, watching as Lex ducked his head under the water. "Besides, didn't you hear Serenity? I completely blew that mission. I'm the number on disgrace to the Assassin Order this side of the sixteenth century." Blue eyes trailed over his skin as Jameel leaned down, resting his arms around Lex's chest, elbows on the rim of the tub.

Lex gasped, the gasp becoming a sigh as Jameel nibbled at the crook of his neck. He swallowed, head tilting back. Jameel took the access he was granted, kissing the younger man's Adam's apple where it bobbed in his throat.

**Siesta = nap**

**Amigo = friend**

**Rosenoel, Lavendeloel, Minzoel, Olivenoel = Rose oil (attar of roses), lavender oil, mint oil, olive oil**

**Mi dispiace, signori! = I'm sorry, sirs!**

**Mein = mine**

**Sei still, Bruderherz. Sei still, Bruderherz, sei still. Du bist sicher mit mir. Ich bin dein Prinz, herzallerliebster Bruder, und Ich bin mit dir. Du bist immer sicher in meinem Armen. = Be still, brother dear. Be still, brother dear, be still. You're safe with me. I'm your prince, dearest brother, and I'm with you. You're always safe in my arms. **

***Herzallerliebster = you whom I love most with all my heart**

**Bismillah = merciful and compassionate God**

**Ya Rab = Oh Lord**

**Thanks for putting up with my being sick this weekend, dear readers. :3 I hope two chapters make it up for you. You keep reader, I'll keep writing, and I'll also try and see what's wrong with my laptop to see why I can't log in on it.**


	9. Chapter IX

**Disclaimer: **AC and its charas belong to Ubisoft, the Crows, Jameel, and ML and his Cubs belong to Krono, and Amir belongs to Badr.

**Thanks again for the review, Tobs, and to everyone else who's read the chapters and given feedback in other ways.**

Venice  
1487

_Grenada, a Wednesday, 1357_

I had gone to see the Shroud, but I was trapped. They had me for a month, then a second month. I escaped, using the guardsman's clothes that I stole from his body. It was simple to walk out the door.

I fled to Grenada. It's simple to hide here among the masses of Muslims and Jews, although these are men from North Africa. The Christians live up in the northern latitudes, driven up by the invasion. But I write in haste. I've learned to do this when I've no time to contemplate my words. Just because I am paranoid, does not mean someone is not after me, or so goes the saying that is fast becoming popular within the word.

It's good to hear the adhan _once more. Perhaps I will go to the mosque on Friday, if only to listen to the chatter and prayers._

These were the words Jameel opened his eyes to, albeit blurry from the closeness of the page beneath the arm he was using as a pillow. He made to clench his fist to get the feeling back into it, but remembered that his hand was still in its cast.

Weeks had passed in which the Assassins skulked like rats in their hidey hole, his hands healing further every day but feeling none the better. His skin had begun to crawl and itch terribly beneath the bindings and though Lex reassured him that it was normal, he still felt the need to cut the damned things off, if only to give himself some relief. Unwilling to lift his head in case his body craved further sleep, he let his ears navigate the room for him.

The clashing of blades told him where Desmond, Lex, and Amir were. The training Assassins moved the length of the room; sometimes he was able to spot one or two of them in his periphery. Movement at his head caught his eye. Serenity. He almost groaned aloud, but held his tongue.

When the two men had exited the washroom, the woman had stared at Lex's neck, where a few of the black markings left by his mouth had remained after their fun. She had stared for so long the Red Owl had begun to wonder whether or not she had died from the sight. But no, she was alive, breathing, and unfortunately able to work her jaw.

"Jameel," she was saying now, "I know you are protective of the boy, but is being an Assassin really the right profession for him?"

He didn't answer her. He wouldn't answer her. The question was just as stupid as the one who spoke it. He merely closed his eyes and feigned returning to sleep. "I'm going to patrol," she said from farther away. "The mercenaries are closing in on us each time we leave. I for one need to make sure they aren't close by."

He heard her leave, the shutting door echoing in the room's newly acquired silence. Jameel sighed. _They have no idea we're here. Let it stay that way. This has to be completely secret. All she'll be doing is exposing herself to Metal Lion and his night-wandering posse. I won't stop her, though. If she wants to be put in a situation where she's forced to slit her own throat rather than talk, so be it. All she'll do is argue and give me a headache anyway._

Desmond sighed as Serenity left the building, looking at Amir, who'd started toward the door.

"Again?"

"Again." The Coal Tit looked at Jameel. "We'll go and make sure of her." He looked at Desmond. "Get moving." The bartender grumbled and stalked after him. Lex shrugged and took a seat next to Jameel.

"Why, hello, beautiful. Long time no see." Jameel chuckled soundlessly at the younger man as he continued, "I think I'm having an episode of déjà vu. I could've sworn I saw you at the tavern three streets over from the cathedral."

"_Habibi_, there are at least two cathedrals in this city. Be more specific with your jokes, or I won't know which tavern I'm supposed to have met you in."

X x X

Serenity jumped down from the roofs and discarded her emerald cloak in a cart full of flowers, brought in for some celebration or other. She stopped at one of the stalls that was open for the night and pretended to inspect the wares, fine pieces of jewelry made of precious blue-and-black Turkish stones and silver. She pretended to be awed by them as Desmond and Amir descended from the roofs to avoid the cat-men that had come out to patrol.

The two men moved toward her. Desmond looked at her, eyes flitting toward the cat guards above and the regular night watchmen below. A gnawing sense of apprehension was growing inside him.

Serenity took a step closer to the vendor and whispered in his ear. The vendor's cheeks flushed; he promptly drew the shutters on his shop windows and hurried outside, moving toward the two men heading his way.

"_Perdónateme, signori, mio negozio è chiuso._"

"_Spostare parte,_" Amir barked. The men jumped as the man suddenly slumped against them, their arms around him, a throwing knife in his back. A woman nearby screamed. The guards were alerted. People, panicked, ran in all directions. The Assassins dropped the body and looked around.

Serenity had vanished.

X x X

Lex shifted himself, glancing up at Jameel. "How's the chest wound treating you? Any extra pain I should know about?" He looked back at the chest wound he'd been changing the bandages of. Desmond had done a pretty good job of stitching it up.

Jameel sighed, "Still hurts from time to time, but it seems to be healing well."

"And your hands?"

"The same. Still hurt from time to time." Jameel looked at him as he studied the casts. "When will they come off, little bird? It's been over a month now." Lex nodded.

"They'll come off soon." _Of course, we'll need a bone saw or something to cut them off._ He stood and went to the other rooms, digging around. The Sparrow returned and took his seat again, tying on his boots, now dressed in the clothes of a peasant. "I need to get something to get them off. Think I should see what's going on with the others while I'm out?"

"I wouldn't go up there." The two looked at each other, eyes locked. Jameel sighed and shook his head, finally relenting. "If you must go, disguise yourself."

"Got it." Lex went to the nearest torch and smothered the flame out of existence. Taking some water, he smeared the ashes from the torch into a paste, covering his exposed skin. He then took up the sash from his robes and wound it into a turban, giving Jameel a smile. "Do I look trader like enough?"

"You look like an idiot. That's the worst disguise I've ever seen. What are you supposed to be, a Berber dwarf? You might as well have put two black lines under your eyes and called it camouflage."

"Thank you for the critique. Wish me some sense." The Sparrow disappeared out the exit door.

Jameel sighed a second late, wishing he could slap his palm to his face without breaking his nose. _Did I just unleash Lex into the city disguised as a Berber dwarf?_

"What in all the names of Allah did I just do...?"

X x X

The woman made her way to the center of the city, standing in an alleyway beside the tall cathedral. Desmond sighed as he and Amir watched from the shadows of an alley across the way. _She had to pick the one place with one of the few tempting haystacks in the city, didn't she?_

A flash of silver caught their eyes. One of the Kittens landed beside the woman. They conversed a moment, then just as quickly the Kitten was gone. Amir pointed to the spot they stood on as he looked at Desmond before running out to the hay cart and leaping inside. Peering out, he quickly grasped the nearest handhold and moved up to the roof of the church. There, he lowered himself down to a small walkway sheltered by the eaves and looked down at the alley below, making himself a small ball in the shadows.

The shadows of the night had lengthened halfway across the courtyard when the axe-happy psychopath appeared in all his leonine glory, accompanied by two of his guards. He strolled across the courtyard and came straight to the alley, taking Serenity in his arms.

"What news, my lovely?" his rumbling voice asked through the roaring jaws. Serenity looked up at the Metal Lion and smiled.

"I've been doing my job well. I've got them right where I want them and I know just whose head I want to bring to you on a platter first. I just need a little more time. After all, seeing the fiascos that the missions have been... Well, you see my predicament? But I promise I will get the job done."

Amir cheeped as a hand closed over his mouth, jerking his head around to look at Desmond. The man gave him a look and kept quiet, listening still, praying that no one had heard the noise from the Coal Tit.

Apparently no one had, for the Lion said, "Do what you have to do. You'll be paid triple the amount." Crazy Legs and his guards crawled up the opposite wall onto the rooftop and hurried into the distance. The Assassins crawled out of their hiding place and walked across the roof. A thump made them spin round. One of the cat-headed men stood behind them, axe coming for their necks.

Desmond took a running leap and grasped onto one of the decorations of the bell tower across from them, holding a hand out to Amir, who yelled, "Go, fool!" The Eagle pressed his foot to the top of the decoration and threw himself up to the next piece of artwork as Amir drew a throwing knife and tossed it at the Cat.

The knife was deflected, but it served its purpose, allowing the little Novice to toss himself onto the tower and hurrying up easily to the top. He scrambled up to the thin opening where the bell sat, moving around as the shriek of metal on stone alerted him to the attacker climbing after him. The Cat lifted himself onto the thin strip of stone as Amir launched himself over to the clapper of the bell, grasping onto it and using it as a swing to kick the Cat off balance. The armored warrior flailed and toppled as Amir turned, digging his nails against the metal before turning a tight somersault through the air, rolling out into a Leap of Faith toward the hay below.

X x X

The sound of the tolling bell set other bells to ringing across the city, guards scurrying left and right. Above it all, a man crouched, watching. Scanning the area, he focused on what seemed out of place. A girl running across the roofs, her long hair flowing out like a veil behind her. Standing slowly, he leaped from his position and grabbed a lantern, swinging across to a trellis. Climbing up, meshing his hand with the ivy for better purchase, he mounted the roof and made after her.

Below, the disguised Sparrow walked through the market, eyeing the doctors in their bone white masks until the flash of white caught his eye, bright in the moonlight. An Assassin. _Shit! Dumbass!_ He disappeared down the nearest alley and clambered onto the roof using a low wall, grasping the man's arm and tossing the both of them from the roofs, landing hard on a stack of crates and canvas below before rolling to the cobbles.

The two separated as they leaped up. Lex was on the man the next second, his hand over his mouth, pressing him back with his weight to the wall.

"Are you crazy? Do you want to get chopped to bits?" He frowned as he caught sight of the part of the man's face he could see, the scar on his lip. But this wasn't Desmond. He'd never seen Desmond wear a necklace and this man had a necklace of black cord around his neck. "Are you Ezio Auditore?"

Slowly, the man lifted his hand and pointed it toward the man pinning him, unsheathing a hidden blade that just touched the bridge of the dark nose.

"Who are you?" asked the man, his fluid Italian confirming that he was indeed not Desmond.

"My name is Lex. I'm an Assassin like you. Also, you must not know who's who in Venice."

"What makes you say this, little..." Ezio frowned, unable to place the odd accent this alleged Assassin spoke with. "Where did you say you were from?"

"Forget about that. What makes me say this is you gallivanting around on the roofs with forty enemies around you." He slapped Ezio's hand away from his face. "_Stronzo_, get that thing out of my face before I cold cock you. I'll explain the rest later, but for now you need to come with me." The taller Assassin watched the small man head off. Lex stopped and looked at him, a sudden urge come upon him. "Do you know Leonardo da Vinci's assistant?" The man instantly became two shades whiter. "Uh-huh. Thought so. If you don't want him to yank your sac off like a paper towel, take my advice and come with me."

"Lead the way."

X x X

Amir and Desmond shot two down two of the Kittens as they ran along the streets. Desmond put on the breaks as a short black man and an Assassin came out of nowhere.

"What the hell?"

"Hey, Dessy."

"Lex?" They took up the race again.

"Yeah, long story. This is Ezio. It's his turn to jump in the canal if something goes wrong. What about you?"

"Not right now," answered the two Assassins in unison. The group was forced to a halt as a semicircle of Cats appeared before them. They turned. To their left and right, behind them, a ring of Cats.

"Oh! What can we do now?" Desmond asked mockingly, unsheathing his hidden blade.

"I can think of ten ways to skin these guys." Lex's teeth flashed white against the paint of his disguise.

"Who are these fellows?" Ezio asked, two hidden blades appearing from the bracers on each of his hands.

The pulling of bowstrings stopped any attempt to answer. The doctors had shed their disguises to reveal Ravenwatch archers. Metal Lion appeared, flanked by some of his guards. The four men moved to stand back to back.

One of the archers loosed a glass arrow. The Lion's Cubs charged.

As quickly as they'd taken formation, the group peeled away from one another. Desmond tossed himself headlong over two swinging axes, rolling up to his feet. Amir used one of the guards as a springboard to get onto the roof. Lex pushed Ezio forward as the man stalled, hustling him toward a gap he'd spotted in the oncoming mass of armor and out toward the open air above the city.

The army followed after them.

The four turned and fired their guns. Two shots glanced off Metal Lion and hit the wall and one of the men running beside him. Another of the Cats went down a moment later, as well as an archer.

"What is going on?" Ezio groaned as he ran toward one of the tall buildings and began to climb.

"We're getting our asses kicked is what's going on!" Lex hissed as he hauled himself up after the man. He stopped long enough to look at the backs of his legs. Glass shards littered them both, soaking his pants down to them. "Fuck," he swore as the pain registered, reaching Ezio's level just below the top. "What the hell are you doing up here?"

Down below on the level below, Desmond swung a corner and paused to reload as Amir did the same, seated on slim ledges.

"You're not a half bad shot, little man."

"Shut up, Desmond, or I'll kill you myself." He looked at Desmond and then just as seriously made a single chirping sound.

"Does that translate to anything?" Amir pointed behind him and chirped again. "_Dear God!_"

Debris was tossed into the air as bomb arrows smashed into the tower. Glass came after. The cats had caught up as well, making their way up the structure. Amir stabbed one of the guards in the face, kicking him down onto his comrades milling below. Desmond jumped as another bomb arrow smashed the wall mere feet from his legs. "If we survive this, I'm gonna kill Serenity!"

"You're sure you're going to get to her first?" Amir kicked a second man from the tower, gasping as a piece of glass sliced his side, the two men making their way around the tower and jumping out and down.

Above them, Lex threw his arms up in front of his face as dust and shards of stone flew up along with the glass. He climbed higher, arms almost as much of a mess as his legs.

"You'd better have a hay cart down there, Ezio, or we're both dropping to the canals or the cobbles!" He turned and shot one of the Cats that climbed onto the flat roof they stood upon, knocking him back into the embrace of gravity. Ezio peeked over the roof edge.

"No hay, _amico_. I hope you can jump far." He took a running start and leaped from the roof. Lex gulped as he heard a faint splash far below.

The young man backed up, then ran and jumped as another bomb arrow sprang to where his feet were a moment before. The concussion rattled him to the bones, driving the breath from his lungs and tossing him the rest of the way out over to the canal. Tumbling end over end, he bounced off one of the lower roofs and into the water.

X x X

Serenity walked into the hide out and looked around. The torches had burned out.

"Jameel?" she whispered. "Are you here?"

The glow of Jameel's eyes was the only thing giving him away. He said not a word. Serenity stared at the twinned icy circles, the only faint light in the gloom. "Jameel? What is it? What's wrong?" Her voice was soft, sweet, almost a purr. "Is Lex here?"

The blue circles shifted slightly as Jameel moved his head, a response finally evoked: "No." Silence. Then, "What's going on out there?"

"I'm not sure. I was in the market, then I met up with Desmond and Altair and we were separated when the Metal Lion came by with his guards. They started firing on us. I managed to get back here, and I thought they would be here by now."

"Did you leave them out there too?" His words were as cold as his gaze.

"I did not leave them. I told you, we were separated and I thought they'd returned by now." She shivered, his stare unnerving her.

Jameel scowled. The unseen expression did him little good, his slitted eyes telling more than his face at this point. The Red Owl couldn't trust her—wouldn't trust her—as far as he could throw her, and if he'd had the use of his hands, he would have drop kicked her clear out of Venice.

X x X

Ezio looked around as he surfaced, hood falling back during the dive, long brown hair sticking to his face. He shook it out of his eyes, panting. Where was that little fellow? Taking a breath, he dove down again, scouring the water for a sign of him. Spotting the movement of cloth in the water, he reached out, dragging him up onto the other side of the canal.

The pasted ashes had washed off in the water, leaving their former wearer limp and pale.

More bomb arrows flew, the remaining guards streaming down from the roofs toward the nearest bridge. Glass shards scattered. One of the bombs exploded over Ezio's head, forcing him to pick up the limp Assassin and toss him over his shoulder, running down one of the streets.

"Move, stupid!" Desmond shouted over the explosions as he grasped Ezio by the back of his robes and pulled him hard to the side, down a series of alleys to where he and Amir had taken shelter. His blade arm looked almost shredded. Amir stood behind him, his side bloodied. Both were prickled full of bits of stone and glass and coated in a fine layer of dust.

Ezio looked around, then dropped the dead weight he'd been carrying, saying, "Follow me. We need to climb up."

He was immediately felled by a stiff punch to his crotch, falling on his face with an "Oof..."

"Thank whatever God you have you can still bear children," Amir snarled, kneeling beside the heap that was his elder brother. Turning him onto his side, he rammed his knuckles into his middle. Lex gagged, spluttering and vomiting up half the canal. The Sparrow staggered as he was pulled to his feet, supported by the Coal Tit's body and arms.

Cover fire was shot over their heads as Desmond and Ezio pulled Lex up onto the roof, Amir pushing him from behind.

Projectiles flew at them and were met with a volley of other projectiles. Knives, bullets, and poisoned needles sank into the Crows and Cats. Lex fell to his knees as the others picked up the pace, unable to support himself on his battered legs. Amir gripped him by the belt, pulling him up again. "_Yallah, ahki, yallah!_"

"_Emshi..._" Lex's chin dropped his chest, on his knees once more. "I can't walk, Amiri, just leave me here." His eyes jerked open as he felt something warm and wet invade his mouth before pain flared harshly on each side of his face.

"Wake up and get on your feet, Brother! Now!" Lex staggered up as he was all but dragged to a stand and made to run, his mouth still tingling, stunned at having had his little brother's tongue jammed into his mouth.

X x X

The woman folded her arms and strode in the direction of the table. She hissed as she skinned her leg on one of the chairs.

"I know it's probably not a good time, Jameel, but I think we should talk about... Well, about us, really." She tapper her hand against her leg lightly, watching the glowing, leering blue rings.

"Us? What precisely do you mean by that?"

"You, me, the boy, the others, all of us." The woman moved closer, as if trying to see by the light of his eyes. "What are your impressions of them? Of me? What about before they showed up, all the night runs together? What will happen to us when Venice is finally safe from the Templars? What will we do? Surely the other Assassins will leave—those two will return home, won't they, wherever that may be?"

"The Templars are everywhere. No matter how many men I kill, there will always be more to take their place." He stood, leaning his weight against the table. "As for the others, I don't think you understand, Serenity." He made an unseen face of disgust at saying her name. "I have known the others for a very long time, and I have already long ago tied down my bloodline."

"Then we'll simply kill all the Templars in Italy and leave the rest for others." Serenity moved nearer to him, pressing her body to his. "And you knew them for a long time, Jameel. Knew them. People can change rather quickly given certain circumstances. What if after all this that boy wants to leave you? What would you do then, Jameel?" She paused and ran her tongue over her lips. "Jameel, I've something to confess to you. Tonight, I saw... I saw him, that boy. He was speaking with the Metal Lion. They were colluding, Jameel. He wants to hand you over to the Templars." She looked in his bright eyes. "But he was already injured. He won't stay out long, I know it. When he returns, we can give him the traitor's death he deserves. We can kill him!"

Jameel stared her square in the eyes, his voice dropping to a dangerously low, almost intimate hiss.

"Kill him? Is that what this is all about? You want me all to yourself, don't you? No regard for the Assassin-Templar war, no regard for the Creed! We have a job to do; I say we do that job." Serenity gasped as she was pinned against the table by the taller man, his weight bearing down on her, face so close to her own his breath tickled her lips. "And once these casts have come off my hands, I will wring the life from your body for daring to threaten my lover."

Serenity wrapped an arm around his neck, pressing a leg between his as she grasped the back of his head by the hair and said in his ear, "Really, Jameel, you don't think I know that? You don't think I know there's a job to be done?" Flicking her hand up from her belt, she drove the dart into his neck.

Jameel teetered back and forth as Serenity slipped from between him and the table, staggering to keep his footing. He felt the overwhelming need to drop his head to the table and sleep. He struggled to keep on his feet, but his buckling legs refused to obey, leaning heavily against the table.

_No, damn it, no, I should've seen this coming! Why did I not see this coming earlier? Stay awake, damn it! Have to..._ The man dropped limply to the floor, the icy rings disappearing under heavy lids.

Serenity went over to one of the torches and lit it, giggling to herself as she lit a few more. She went over to the downed Assassin. Unable to resist, she knelt and stole a kiss.

"Sleep well, Jameel." She pulled the man up and walked out of the exit, half-carrying, half-dragging him. Lowering him against the wall, she moved onto the roof and hailed one of the Lion's guards. "Tell the Lion that I'm almost ready to bring him a new trophy to hang on his wall." The guard nodded his feline head and bounded away to spread the news.

Now to await the arrival of the second piece of the prize.

X x X

"Go back!" Lex stumbled as he landed beside Desmond. The younger Eagle was shouting over the bombs and breaking glass. All four of them were equally bloodier than when Ezio had decided to be a complete moron and enter the enemy's domain. "Go back and tell Jameel what's going on!"

"What are you, insane?" Desmond pressed the hidden blade to his throat to forestall any further protests.

"Get going." Lex sighed and hurried off to one side as the others distracted their pursuers with a peppering of shot, hurrying on again, moving across the city. They took down a few more Cats, Desmond pausing long enough to pick up a loose tile and chuck it at a Crow archer taking aim. It stuck him in the face, the body toppling with a splash into one of the canals below.

Amir readied one of his poisoned bone needles as they stopped, the Metal Lion standing before them. Chop-Happy's stance did his grinning for him, mocking the Assassins as dawn's first light crested the horizon, blinding them. When their eyes cleared, the cowardly cats and the trigger-happy birds had vanished.

X x X

Serenity listened as footfalls shuffled in the darkened room.

"Jameel? Jameel, where are you?" A smile curled the woman's lips. "Jameel?"

Lex froze as a sound came to his ear. What was it? Weight. Boots scuffing. Not Jameel—the tread was too heavy. He spun, steel ringing on steel as sword blades met.

He drew back, sinking to a knee. Blades clashed again as he forced himself to stand and parted once more, this time with the woman driven back. She gagged as a boot landed in her gut. _The little bastard's actually holding his ground!_

"You little shit!" Lex shifted his weight as she came at him again, stepping aside from her swing and bringing his leg down against the small of her back. Serenity turned, grabbing his leg and twisting it harshly. A scream left him as he dropped to the floor, pants growing wetter with his blood. The woman moved in for a strike at the back of his neck with her hidden blade, gasping when her wrist was wrenched to the side, landing hard on her back.

A startled noise escaped the Sparrow as something was stabbed into his chest. Serenity dragged him up, her hot breath making him gag as she held him by the collar of his tunic. "I'm going to enjoy every moment of the next few hours. Starting now." Lex's chin sank to his chest as his eyes shut.

X x X

Whether Amir was helping Desmond and Ezio walk or was being helped by them, the Eternal Novice wasn't certain. The three descended into the hide out. Silence greeted them. Desmond lit the nearest torch.

A patch of blood gave a spot of color to the floor, a few of the chairs overturned.

The two Assassins went to the other rooms and gathered all the equipment they could carry, returning to Ezio.

"We're coming to your hide out," Amir informed him. "We'll explain as much as we can once we're there and our wounds have been treated."

"Coming to my hide out, you say?" Ezio looked down at the small boy who seemed to think he could boss him around. "Do you really think this is such a smart idea? Shouldn't you tend to your wounds first and then be on the move? With all that's going on, we can't just return to the streets! We won't survive on the way there. The streets won't clear up in a moment, these things take time—"

His voice died in a high pitched keen as Amir growled, grasped his balls viciously, and—Desmond hoped he was seeing wrong—twisted.

"We're going to your hide out if you don't want to lose your balls!"

**Adhan = Call to Prayer**

**Habibi = my love/my dear friend/my beloved/general term of endearment**

**Perdónateme, signori, mio negozio è chiuso. ****= Forgive me, sirs, my store is closed.**

**Spostare parte = Move aside**

**Stronzo = Asshole**

**Yallah, ahki, yallah = Come on, my brother, come on!**

**Emshi = Go away/leave/get out of here**

**Amiri = Play on Amir's name, meaning my prince**


	10. Chapter X

**Disclaimer: **AC and its charas are belong to Ubisoft, Krono has claim to Jam, ML, ML's Cubs, and Ravenwatch, and Amir belongs to Badr.

**Thanks for the review, Tobi, and the favorite, wooqy. A quick note for all those who may be of weak constitutions or cry easily: grab a bucket and tissues for this chapter. You will need them.**

Italy, 2012

"NO!" The scream jolted the two Assassins awake. Shaun looked at Rebecca, then stood up and hurried down the hall. There he found Lucy walking toward him, her eyes stretched to their widest.

"Shaun, you take over," she whispered. "I'm not going to be able to sleep after that." The Brit frowned and hurried on to where Jameel was. The tall man was huddled against the top of the bed, legs squeezed to his chest, rocking back and forth fiercely, face buried in his knees.

"Jameel?"

"No..."

"Jameel?"

"No, no, no..." Unsure what to do, Shaun sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, putting his arms around him. "No, no, no, no..."

Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore, Italy  
1487

The Sparrow awoke in a room dimly lit by a single torch on the inside of his cell and one on the outside, the light bouncing off the armor of the two cat-headed guards outside the door. He tried to move his arms and found them shackled to the wall by chains, long enough to allow him to stand but not to go very far. He looked down at himself. His vest was still there, but his weapons had been confiscated. _Of course they are. What need would a chained man have with blades?_ He jerked his head up as the room suddenly darkened, a large shape blotting out the light of the torch outside the cell.

The Lion opened the bars and shut them behind him, stepping into the room with deliberate slowness. He had checked to make sure every facet of the area was in place. This time the place was much better guarded, not like in Spain; he did not like his playthings escaping. After all, how could they not cherish all the effort he put in preparing everything so nicely for them to share in a little fun?

He lifted the young man's head, smiling under his mask at the venomous glare he was given.

Lex squirmed in his grasp, baring his teeth as he was held in place by his chin. He was only lifted higher, up onto the very tips of his toes, the chains growing taut, tugging the manacles down around his wrists. A sneer formed across the young man's face as he asked, not without a hint of sarcasm, "This's going to hurt, isn't it?"

The Sparrow's breathing quickened as he kept his eyes on the Lion, using his peripheral vision to try and find a means of escape from the cell.

The Lion shook his head.

"No crevice left open through which a little songbird can sneak away," he said, voice almost sounding like he was going to purr. "I have been informed about you well by my mercenaries and my cunning little vixen." The grip on his chin tightened and the other gauntleted hand moved along his cheek, then stroked down his neck. "A good taste the Owl has. Tender and young, the same age as I prefer my prey. Oh, I will make you sing, little Sparrow."

The Lion mask was pressed closer to his face so that it almost became a blur, gray eyes staring at him through the eyeholes. "I will make you sing and your Owl will listen to every note I pluck from your lips." The boy spat at him in vain, the liquid sliding down the great roaring maw. The stare in the gray eyes grew harder and, before Lex could think to brace himself, the Lion's iron clad fist connected with his jaw. _First soften up the plaything a bit,_ the Lion thought to himself, looking at the boy, _see if he doesn't get to be a little more docile._

Lex groaned and lifted his head from where it lay on the stones of the floor, the world tilting crazily from the force of the blow. He spat out blood and a tooth came with it. Gathering his breath, he growled, "Go to hell!" A hard metal boot connected with his stomach, driving the wind from him. Groaning again, he curled up, clutching his stomach. The Sparrow gasped, eyes watering, as he was lifted by his hair, clawing at the iron-covered hand that held him. "Fuck you," he whispered, then grew louder. "Fuck you." He gritted his teeth, choking on the bile that rose into his mouth as the Lion struck his middle again. "You couldn't get...a decent lay if..." The words were cut off as he was tossed, the chains nearly popping his arms from the sockets as he was brought up short, and crashed painfully to the stone floor.

A chuckle rose from the Lion's throat.

"So brave, little Assassin. I see why he likes you to keep his bed warm." Lex shuddered at the evident joy in his voice. Metal thudded on stone as the Lion moved toward him. The Lion knelt, running a cold, metal finger almost tenderly along the Sparrow's bloodied lips. "Suppose you belong to the things the Red Owl cherishes most." The maw was in his face again, the voice emanating from it almost a conspiratorial, husky whisper. "If I break you, his facade might crumble and Kadin's bloodline could finally triumph. I won't break you all the way, though. Not entirely in your body, at least, for, you know, little troublemaker, I'm toying with the idea for keeping you. If only to imagine the man I despise meeting defeat every day, if not seeing then merely knowing that the love of his life belongs to me."

The next thing Lex heard was the sound of metal scraping on metal and the tearing of fabric...

X x X

Jameel woke up, groggily taking in his surroundings. _Where am I now?_ The room was merely four walls of white plaster and a wooden floor, a rug in the middle with a fine wooden seat placed upon it. In the seat sat Serenity. He looked at his arms, the dull ache in his shoulders coming to his attention. His hands were freed from his casts, he noted, and looked disgusting to boot, covered in a thick layer of dead skin and excess hair. He tested the shackles, pulling at them with his full strength. They were strong, surprisingly so, and looked fresh. The last time he'd been captured, the manacles and chains were rusted, easily breakable.

Serenity smiled and leaned forward in her seat.

"I'm glad you're awake. I didn't want you to sleep through all the fun." She watched him struggle. "Yes, those are new. Just installed. You like?" The woman reached up and rubbed a scratch on her chin that was still a little damp with blood. "You know, you're a very good kisser."

Jameel immediately gagged at hearing the words, coughing and looking like he really was going to wretch. _Ugh, with her? A traitor?_ He felt filthy, more so than if he'd swum in the canals and then eaten a globbet of horse manure. After he finished gagging, he glared murderous daggers at her, struggling a little more.

"When I get out of here, you're going to die ten times over!"

"Oh, don't struggle, Jameel. It's useless." Serenity tapped her lips with a finger, crossing her legs, eyes half-lidded as she smiled a vicious smile. "Our entertainment is about to begin. You should listen. It's sure to be musical." She shuddered and grinned as a scream tore through the air.

Jameel stopped struggling immediately, becoming a dead weight in the shackles. His face was blank, eyes cast down to stare at the unappealing floor. Try as he might, he couldn't block the cries from his ears, or the situation from his mind. It was one he'd long dreaded to be in, his darkest nightmare made reality. _Make it stop... Make it stop..._ half his mind pleaded, the other half countering just as pleadingly for fear of what it might mean if they did, _Don't stop...don't stop..._

The screams died of their own accord, though how long they had lasted, whether mere minutes or entire hours, he couldn't have said.

"I hope you enjoyed Act I."

X x X

The bartender finished picking out the last of the glass from his body, binding it over. He stood and went to where Amir and Ezio stood arguing over what was the better plan of attack.

"And another thing, Leopoldo," Ezio snapped, pointing to Desmond, "who the hell is this?"

"Desmond Miles." He shook the Italian's outstretched finger. "I'm your great-great-great-great-grandson." The man stared at him. "No, I'm not shitting you. Check it out." He threw back his hood, revealing his face. Ezio frowned, cupping his chin between his fingers.

"Fine, I will consider this insanity. How is it possible, if you are who you say you are, that you're here with me now?"

"It's called time travel. Ask him about it." He pointed to Amir. "Since this kid is the Time Lord and all that."

"Desmond, don't make references to things Ezio won't understand. Although I appreciate the comparison to the Doctor." Desmond turned his entire body toward Amir and stared at him. "Ezio, believe whatever you like about Desmond. I don't give three shits about him in particular."

"Oh, thank you very much, Amir."

"Cutting off your tongue is my next step if you can't learn silence, Miles." Desmond shut his trap. "Give us aid in rescuing my brother, or I will prevent you ever having the ability to write, bed, touch, or even so much as look upon your precious Cristina Vespucci again, Ezio. Is that understood?"

"_P-Perfettamente._"

"_Va bene._ Now come with us. I know who to ask for directions to the Lion's den."

X x X

Lex lay on the floor of the cell, staring at the ceiling listlessly. Pain had been the first sensation after he'd awakened. Exploding pain. Stupidly, he'd let out a sound, which had alerted the guards to his regaining consciousness. He sighed as he was turned over onto his belly.

He glanced up as the woman leaned against the bars of the cell, looking down at the Sparrow. Lex focused on the wall behind her, buttoning his lips for the time being. The woman shook her head and turned away, disappearing. Only then did the Sparrow give himself over to the feelings that could only be released using his hoarse voice. More screams. More pain.

X x X

Jameel had lost himself in his thoughts for the short duration the screams weren't present, his mind turning over the questions merely to while away the time of silence. A conspiracy had been right in front of his face and he hadn't even known. He had been played for a fool. This traitor had reached an all-time low for the number of traitors to the Brotherhood that he knew of, and what for? Profit?

"This is just to get my affection, isn't it?" Serenity looked up from studying the cleanliness of her nails, pursing her lips. The Red Owl's voice was barely audible, nothing like the shout he'd first used when threatening her on his awakening.

She shrugged. "Partly to get the Templars to leave my city alone."

"The Templars will use you, as they are doing now! They won't leave Venice until they've been chased out! You're only doing them a favor!"

"Ah, there's the old fire that I know you have. Stubborn to the end, eh, Jameel?" She turned so that her legs were sprawled over one arm of the chair, her elbow propped on the other arm, chin on her fist. "But mostly, yes, it was for your affection. Tell me, Jameel, what do you really see in that Ganymede? What is it about him that's worthier of your affections than me?" She scratched at the mark on her chin again.

He didn't respond to the question with words. Instead, he gave her such a foul glare that the bravest of men upon seeing it would have let loose their bowels. Desmond, who had taken the brunt of many of Jameel's glares, would have had nightmares from it if he'd seen it. The woman shrugged again, reclining so that her head hung back across the arm along with her arms, stretching out so her breasts stabbed at the air.

"As you like." She sneered at him. "It won't take long for the boy to talk, you know. In fact, since Act II is about to close, I feel he won't make it to the conclusion, but we'll still have the enjoyable experience of Act III."

X x X

The woman looked into the cell, Act III having ended. The Sparrow lay breathing shallowly on the floor, eyes half-shut, a thick rope of drool pooling under his cheek. She scanned down his body, studying the large bruises on his back and sides and neck, the fire from the torch highlighting the red wetness that colored the floor a few paces beyond his feet.

Opening the bars, she stepped into the cell and turned him over. His head lolled to the side, hair matted into his face with blood.

"Well? Don't you have anything to say?" She lifted her booted foot and pressed her heel down between his legs, eliciting a gasp from his split lips. "Hm?" She ground down, putting her weight into the motion.

"That...gets you off...huh?" he said between pauses for shuddering breaths. "Closest you'll ever get to..." He sighed as the weight left him, kicked back onto his stomach.

The woman stopped and looked at the guards.

"He's doing admirably well, wouldn't you say? Don't break him too quickly. Your master still wants to have his fun. Go ahead and begin Act IV." Lex sighed as he heard the two pairs of metal boots coming toward him, arms looping under his own, lifting him up. He let his head rest back on the metal armor behind him, unable to hold his own head up but wanting to stare his attacker in the mask for as long as his eyes remained open.

X x X

"Act V will begin soon," Serenity said after a time when the silence had stretched the longest. She snapped her fingers. Jameel lifted his head as the wall to his right slid back, a fake all along. Serenity looked over to where Lex sat slumped against the wall. He was blacker and bluer than on her previous viewing, gazing listlessly at the floor, if he gazed at all anymore.

Serenity jumped as the Red Owl suddenly threw himself forward against the shackles, speaking rapidly in a tongue she couldn't understand.

"Get up! Get up, look at me! Open your eyes!" Jameel let out a yell of rage as he strove against the restraints. "Little bird, open your eyes, I beg of you..." He caught his breath in his throat as a roar traveled up his bones. Lex jerked his head up, eyes opening wide, only to have it fall back to his chest. Breathing hard, he began to shove at the manacles around his wrists, trying to slip them over his hands.

Lex jerked harder at the manacles as there was an almost polite knock on the door, tearing his skin. Jameel heard a sickening snap as the manacle came free from about the Sparrow's bloodied wrist. Lex leaned back against the wall, chest heaving, face coated in sweat as the Metal Lion entered the room. The metal-clad man nodded to Serenity as she stood in greeting.

"I see we have some guests. I hope you made them so comfortable, lovely, that they never want to leave."

Serenity nodded, smiling. "Of course. I wouldn't want them saying I was inhospitable." The Metal Lion approached Lex's cell, opening the door. He paused at the threshold, watching the young man force his feet under his body, before he advanced a few steps.

"Troublemaker number one. I see you still have your fire." He reached a hand out toward the bloodied, mangled one hanging at the Assassin's side.

Jameel snarled, the Templar's reaching had breaking his cold, blank stoicism, "Don't you dare touch him!" The Lion turned his head toward the bound man and laughed madly after a moment.

Lex pushed at the other manacle weakly with his mangled hand, blood coating his trapped hand from his wrist. He gasped as his bound arm was lifted up, trembling as it was placed in the jaws, which slammed shut on the manacle. A scream came hoarsely from his raw throat as the teeth sank partly into his wrist. He shuddered as his hand was freed, allowed to drop limply at his side as the Metal Lion held him by the front of his robes.

"I know what you are trying to do and it will not work. Hm..." The Lion lifted his chin with a finger, looking into the Sparrow's glassy eyes. "Since you are so intent on running away, I wonder, would you leave the other captive behind?"

"No." Lex staggered as he was shoved into the wall, the only support to keep from collapsing. It wasn't a hard shove, merely the Lion getting his point across. Flight was useless.

Dredging up the very last of his reserves of strength, he moved away from the wall, moving toward the pauldron with the hidden blade bracer lodged inside. The bracers were still lodged in the jaws. It was pointless, some part of him knew, but the instinct to fight was all that remained to him.

The Lion swatted Lex with the butt of his axe, knocking him onto the floor.

"Let's have some fun." He let the Assassin up, then brought the axe butt down onto his body again. Lex grabbed the haft as it came toward him again, dragged to his feet. The Lion pushed him back against the wall, shoving him about the cell, finally throwing in a head butt for good measure.

The Sparrow saw quadruple as he fell back against the wall and crumpled to the floor, blood sliding into his face and eyes as his head sank to his chest. The Lion raised the axe again, bringing it down toward the Assassin. Lex twisted to the side, throwing himself upward and clinging to the pauldron with the hidden blade for dear life as the Lion began to thrash around, trying to shake him off.

The Sparrow dragged at the jaws, trying to pry them open. He gagged as he was smashed into the wall, feeling a sharp pain within his side. He dropped to the floor and fell on his face. The Lion backed out of the cell and slammed the bars shut, head tilted to one side. "Feisty one. He won't ruin my fun, though."

The Lion turned away and approached Jameel, staring at him with hidden glee. The Red Owl's gaze lingered on the prone figure in the cell, his little bird still struggling to rise even then, whimpering, "Leave him alone." Rage filled Jameel as he turned to face his captor and spat in his face, the response a punch in the gut. The Lion grinned behind his mask, watching the man squirm as the air left his lungs. "Stop!" He continued raining blows down onto the tall Assassin as Lex dragged himself up, grasping the torch on the inside of the cell and bringing it down clenched between his bloodied palms.

Metal Lion grabbed the man by the hair, jerking his head up so they were eye to eye. "Now, start talking. Where's the hide out of the Assassins? Hm?" The Lion blinked as something bright caught the corner of his eye, turning his head just in time to see the torch, which had sailed wide of its target, drop fire first onto Serenity's lap. Serenity screamed and threw off the brand, rolling and slapping at her crotch to put out the fire.

The Templar picked up the still burning torch, ignoring the woman's screams, and held it up near Jameel's face. The Red Owl did not respond to the flame near his face, but did respond when it was rammed into his side. Quite loudly. The elder Assassin panted as the brand was pulled from his side, but only gave it a baleful glare when it was held before his eyes again.

Lex slid to his knees, head against the bars, shaking. His eyes were kept to the floor as he said in a low voice, "Stop. I'll tell you. I'll tell you, okay? Just stop hurting him."

The torch was pulled away from Jameel's face. The Lion approached Lex's cell and crouched to his level.

"Everything? Better be honest with me, boy, or the beatings will continue." Lex nodded.

"You shut your mouth, or I'll cut out your tongue and make _lisan al-'usfur_!" Jameel shouted. _I can take more punishment than him, but if he gives away the headquarters, even here in Venice, we'll only suffer more punishment. We will die here if no one comes for us. He will not break the Creed. He will not prove that woman right. He will not betray the Order or me, even if it's to save me!_ "Don't tell him anything!" His words became a strangled scream as the Lion rushed over and shoved the torch into his other side, tossing the useless, burnt out stick aside. Jameel sank against the manacles, breathing hard.

The two Assassins looked at one another.

Lex settled his head against the bars, smiling weakly.

"_Samikhni. Min fadlak, boomahi, samikhni._" He looked at the Metal Lion. The armored Templar moved to the bars.

"Speak up, boy, or he gets cooked."

The Assassins jumped as cannon fire suddenly sounded from somewhere nearby. Serenity reached back and took a key from her belt, unlocking the shackles and hurrying from the room with the Red Owl. The Metal Lion stood stunned for a good five minutes, the Assassin at his feet behind the bars making weak, breathless passes at laughter.

"You...you're a dumbass. Thought I'd...let you know."

"Am I?" He whistled sharply, familiar faces entering the room. The Beaks in Black. Three of them, carrying rifles. The Metal Lion strode from the room, making for the exit with his guards as the mercenaries attacked the escapees and those causing the disturbance outside. Lex grasped at the bars, bringing himself to his feet. He wobbled, bowing his head.

"_Ana assif, Jameel..._"

X x X

Jameel stumbled after Serenity through the corridors, avoiding riflemen where they could by running away, bullets clipping their heels as they went. He looked up as he heard fighting ahead and familiar voices.

Amir stabbed another one of the guards, raising his hidden gun. He stopped. Jameel? With Serenity? Desmond looked up from putting a bullet between another Crow's eyes, Ezio stabbing a third in the process.

"How the hell?" began the barkeep, but was forced to assist the other three as Jameel wheeled around to face a group of oncoming gunmen barehanded. The four hauled him back and out the door of the fortress, shooting any who came too near them and dodging cannonballs as they pulled the man toward the boat the three Assassins had used to get to the island.

All the while, Jameel dug in his heels, nearly taking them off their feet as he struggled to return to the place he'd been dragged from.

"Wait, wait!" he screamed. "Wait, he's still inside! I need to go back!" The man almost succeeded in breaking free as a cannonball forced his comrades to dodge aside, but was tackled by the two Eagles. "Let go of me! Release me, you fatherless dogs! I have to go back inside! I need to go back! I have to save him! Let me go, damn it, he's going to die! I can't let him die! I won't leave him to be food for the Crows!"

The next shot shattered the ground a few feet from them, blocking his path, allowing the Assassins to drag the Red Owl into the boat.

**Perfettamente = Perfectly**

**Va bene = All right**

**Lisan al-'usfur = Sparrow tongue soup**

**Samikhni. Min fadlak, boomahi, samikhni = Forgive me. Please, my owl, forgive me.**

**Ana assif, Jameel… = I'm sorry, Jameel…**

**Four chapters in one week, I think this was. Or was it three? I'm not sure. This chapter was difficult to write, and I'm sure it was difficult to read. At least, I hope it was. Thanks for getting this far with me, dear readers. You keep reading, I'll keep writing, even if I am sick. And it does get better in the next chapters.**


	11. Chapter XI

**Disclaimer: **I don't own AC or its characters, Jameel and the Animal Trio and Ravenwatch belong to Krono, and Amir belongs to Badr.

**Thanks for the reviews, Badr, Tobi, Smeggi. :3 And for all the art, Renka and Tobi.**

Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore, Italy  
1487

"Jameel, damn it!" Despite the severe wounds on the Master Assassin, in sheer spite of the artillery being shelled their way, even with his ass knocked into the boat, it was still taking Ezio, Desmond, and Amir to hold Jameel in the boat and shove off. Shoving off proved just as difficult, as the Red Owl was doing his damnedest to maim them if they wouldn't get out of the way. "We'll go back for him, all right? We'll go back!" Jameel rounded on him with his hidden blade.

Serenity and Ezio latched onto his arms, holding him in place as he thrashed again with all his might.

Amir reached around Jameel's throat and pressed his fingers and thumb down hard on either side. The man's squirming ceased; his expression turned to one of confusion, though his glare remained. A few minutes later the glaring blue eyes rolled up and his body slumped backward onto the Italians.

"Get going," Amir ordered as he and Desmond dove into the water and swam back to the island, heading toward the keep, dodging further shots from the Crows as they went back inside.

Gunshots sounded from what felt like everywhere! The Assassins took down as many of the bird-men as they could, injuring where they couldn't as they hurried toward the upper levels. The stairway gave them a place for a brief rest. They were peppered with blood and it hurt to lift their recoil-weary arms and fire at the men coming at them from either side, bodies piling on either side of them on the case.

Finally, they were able to move up to the rooms above. The watchmen shrieked as the Assassins were spotted, rounding their rifles toward them, only to have three poisoned needles in one of each of their eyes. Amir shoved the needles deeper as Desmond finished them off with three shots in quick succession.

_Boom-head shot. Boom-head shot. BOOM. HEAD SHOT,_ went the chant in his mind.

Desmond picked up one of the rifles and blew the door's lock apart with two quick shots, shoving open the cell door. It was then that they looked at the figure on the floor of the cell. Lex lay in a heap, unmoving.

"_Ah-ah-ahk,_" Amir stammered hoarsely, staring at him. "_Ahki..._" Desmond bent quickly and scooped Lex onto his shoulders. He grabbed Amir's hand and hauled him back down the stairs, vaulting over the bodies blocking their way. The two looked up as a last group of Ravens blocked the exit, but kept barreling on, lowering their shoulders to bum rush the door.

X x X

Ezio rowed them back to Venice quick as he was able, directing them toward the waterside entrance to the building he knew to be a safe house. The traitor looked up as she saw the entrance to the guild house. Ezio grasped her arm as they docked inside the building and dragged her to the door inside, banging on it with his fist.

An irate man with shaggy black hair opened the door, a ceramic mug in his hand.

"Ezio?" He looked at the woman, then the man again. "What is it? Who is this?"

"Allies are injured, Antonio. She is a traitor." The head of the Venetian Thieves Guild nodded and grabbed up a chair and some rope. The two men tied the woman to the arms and legs, then went to help Jameel from the boat. "I must go and get the others now. Wait for me."

Antonio nodded as Ezio headed back out, helping Jameel to the chair. The tall man slumped in the chair, pale faced and listless. He had awoken halfway to the safe house and had remained silent since. He was safe...for now. Metal Lion, as far as he suspected, for he could not know anything, especially now, did not know where the guild house was, much less that it housed any Assassins.

His only concern was Lex. If he'd had the strength and the gondola hadn't been taken, he would have stolen it and rowed back across the waters to get to him again himself. _They made me leave him. They made me abandon him. Damn them! Damn them all! No, not them._ He turned his gaze toward Serenity. _Damn her. Damn her to a thousand pounds of molten lead being poured in her ears! Damn her to having her eyes plucked out and regrown and plucked once more by ravens! Damn her to having her bones shattered by war hammers and allowed to heal that they may be broken again!_

Jameel bared his teeth and hissed, "_Ah dena mukk._" Serenity looked up at him at the words, smiling widely. "_In'a'al mayteen ehlak._" She frowned at the tone of his voice, the set of his jaw, the look in his eyes. "_Yela'an sabe'a jad lak._" He rose up as much as his aching sides would allow, pulling forth all the venom and bile he could muster and putting it into his words, "_In'al yomak, khanzeera al matina._"

The two looked up at the sound of boots on the stairs. Antonio swept off the table that sat in the center of the courtyard they sat in. The others carried a limp body in and set it down. Jameel shuddered, feeling his heart clench unnaturally in his chest as the Assassins removed the jack of plates from Lex's body and tossed it to the side, cutting away his clothes.

Blood welled up from his arms and legs where stray rounds had found him in the mad dash out of Ravenwatch's nest. His right thumb was crooked, looking almost torn off, his left hand no better. Both wrists were coated in blood, the skin torn away to reveal the bloodied, pink muscle beneath, stark, white bone peeking through even beneath that. A large bruise showed where his ribs had broken, further bruises decorating his body everywhere Jameel looked. Dried blood coated his inner thighs. Again, his heart clenched, accompanied this time by a goodly amount of bile rising to his mouth.

A shudder rattled his spine. _No, no, no,_ he groaned in his mind, biting his fingertips to keep from releasing the words aloud.

He watched as the others began to tend to the limp Sparrow's injuries, hating every hand upon him, hating his inability to do more than sit there, hating the woman he had cursed with many things worse than death and the men she had aligned herself with, and hating the men and the Order that had done this to his Sparrow.

Amir finally came to his side, rousing him from his seething musings. No words were exchanged. He removed his robes and allowed Amir at his burns and bruises. Metal Lion wasn't merciful when it came to torment-the Journeyman's body proved that more than the few marks on his own. Compared to the younger man, his wounds were as nothing.

Had he been there any longer, he surely would have been a broken mess on the floor, perhaps dead. Had he been there any longer, he was certain his lover's body would have lain at his feet. He closed his eyes, not wanting to think about it anymore, any of it, focusing on the stinging coolness of the salve on his wounds.

Amir cleaned and bound the burns carefully, giving the minor wounds on himself the same treatment as he let his thoughts turn vengeful, his gaze on Serenity. _Had I the authority, woman,_ he thought to himself, _your skin would have been flayed from your body by now and whatever remained of you covered in acid. A thousand needles in that cobweb-covered hole you call a vagina!_

Desmond looked up from bandaging a graze on his forearm, eyes on his ancestor.

"Thanks," he said. "Is there any place we can rest?" Antonio motioned the men toward his quarters. Amir stood stiffly and followed after them, limping slightly from a shot he'd taken to his leg, eyes flicking to his brother before the door shut behind them.

Serenity looked toward Jameel as the man moved closer to where the Sparrow lay, still and pale, on the table.

"I really do love you, you know," she murmured before leaning back and attempting to get a semblance of sleep. A few minutes later, she was out.

Jameel did not respond to the words but for giving her another glare, looking more than wrathful. His unhappy, tired gaze turned back toward Lex, watching the rise and fall of his chest, shallow so that he thought whenever he took his eyes away it would stop moving. He reached out, taking the smaller, bloodied hand between his own and clasping it, careful of his thumb, leaning his brow against it.

"My Sparrow. My little bird. Oh, God, Lex, don't leave me. Don't leave me." His body began to rock. "Don't go." He blinked to clear his eyes, not noticing the tears that were falling down onto the wood beneath his elbows. "Don't go."

Desmond dragged himself reluctantly awake that morning, feeling more sore than he'd felt before, and that was saying something. He went to Antonio, who was already awake and nursing another mug full of hot coffee, and explained to him that if they weren't fed, each and every one of them was going to take a pound of flesh from his body.

"Even the dead boy on the table?" Antonio looked at him over the rim of his mug.

"Dead boy?" Desmond rushed out to the courtyard. Jameel lay with his head on Lex's stomach, asleep, an arm beneath the small of his back, the other over his legs. The bartender checked for a pulse. There it was-faint, but there. He sighed and roused Amir, the two heading out. Jameel awoke, or, rather, opened his eyes, as they left.

"Antonio." The thieves' headman looked at him as the Red Owl lifted the boy into his arms. "Take the woman to Theodora's."

"What are you doing then? And what about the others?"

"Tell them where to go. Amir knows the way. I'm going to get some breakfast."

X x X

Serenity had been awakened as she was jostled to a stop, finding herself in a red painted room, a couch to one side of her, a hearth at her back, the wooden floors gleaming beneath her feet and the chair legs. Women stood in front of the glassed windows. A brothel.

She looked at Desmond, who sat on the sofa nearby, munching on a few grapes. He looked up at Amir as the boy entered the room.

"How're you feeling, kid?" Amir looked at him flatly. "...Right." Back to munching he went.

"Do you think the boy is going to live?" The two Assassins, who had been steadfastly ignoring her presence, now glared bombs at the woman. "You did not even see the extent of the blood that he lost in the cells. It's-" Two fists connecting with her face shut her up and put her on her back, trapped more effectively than a turtle knocked onto its shell.

The Assassins looked up as Jameel entered through the door. His face went from blank to a scowl in no time as when he saw Serenity. Tossing the last of a tangerine back, he swallowed it whole and shut the door behind him.

"What are we going to do with her?" asked Desmond.

"What we usually do with traitors." Amir looked at the bartender. Desmond thought back to Masyaf, remembering what had happened with Altair after the Templar attack as Amir moved forward and untied the woman. She stood and folded her arms across her chest, making no attempt to escape.

Her eyes fell on Jameel and stayed there. Jameel kept his mouth shut. She may have proclaimed her love and devotion, but it was all one-sided. What was her latest display of affection anyway? Handing him over to the Templars? _That is not any kind of affection I've ever known in my life; it is madness, madness and betrayal. Why is she so hell-bent on gaining my affection anyway? I'm not going to give anything back to her. I never was going to and I never will now!_

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Amir demanded. Serenity stood taller.

"I was trying to win over the Lion's trust. If he trusted me, then I could kill him when the time was ripe. I admit, I let my jealousy cloud my decision with the boy." She looked at the Master Assassin. "But I never intended for you to be harmed as you were. The situation became...complicated. My intent was not to compromise or even reveal the Brotherhood, but to eliminate a powerful enemy. If I appear a traitor, I assure you, I am not."

"You do realize he does not trust anyone? He never has." The words seemed to come from the air and not the man's lips. No movement came from the Red Owl. He hardly even breathed. His glare remained, frigid as the lowest level of Dante's Hell.

Had he not been trained to keep a level head, he would have been destroying everything that came to hand in a blind rage.

"He was beginning to trust me," she stated.

It was taking all of that training to not kill her on the spot.

"Are you high?" This was from Desmond. "Have you not heard that guy? Have you not _seen_ that guy? Jesus Christ, lady, who are you that you can tame the psychopath into listening to you at the same that he's doing-doing that?" He pointed to Lex.

"Desmond." At Amir's nearly inaudible statement of his name, the bartender silenced himself with an effort. The Coal Tit kept his gaze leveled at Serenity. "My brother will want a piece of you for himself for what you have done to the Red Owl, so I propose that we don't kill you yet, but each of us will take his pound of flesh from your body. Agreed?"

The two men cracked the knuckles in response.

Desmond was allowed first, throwing a very heavy punch to her face that sent her sprawling over the chair, still tipped onto its back, following it up with a heel drop to her stomach. He moved back to his place.

Serenity looked up at them, a whimper escaping her as Amir moved up to his place.

Amir nudged the woman with the toe of his boot. He nudged her again. "You bitch!" A hard kick to the chest. "Who do you think you are?" The woman curled up. He dragged her up by the hair. "You hurt my brother just to satisfy your jealousy!" He threw her down face first into the floor. Turning away from her, he waited until she was able to stand again. Then-"You impotent cow!"-an elbow to the face. He spat down onto her tear streaked face. "May your soul be eternally roasted in Hell, you who is lower than the mummified shit of a dung beetle! I damn your ancestors to the eighteenth generation, and I damn your progeny until seven generations are gone from your line!"

With that, he moved back to his place. Jameel strode forward.

_Affection. She wants my affection. Well, let's see how she likes my affection!_

He dropped to a knee and decked her across the face, grabbing her by the front of her robes and punching her again twice before standing. Three kicks went into her stomach, each harder than the last. He pulled her up and beat her about the face again with punches from the right and left. He kneed her in the gut before throwing her to the floor much as Amir had and spitting on her.

He turned to move over to the others and stopped for a minute, looking at Lex where he lay on the table in the dining room beyond. Rounding on the woman once more, he gave one last, hard kick. Her mouth was snapped shut, a crunch alerting that her nose had been broken. Blood spurted from her mouth-she'd bitten her tongue, though not hard enough to sever it.

Serenity's eyes blurred as she looked up at the man who stood panting above her. Jameel backed himself to where the others stood. He glanced at the other two.

Amir looked over his shoulder at his brother, then at the woman who lay clutching her battered face.

"My brother still awaits his chance to take his payment from you. If he should die, you will die. More slowly and painfully than any has died before at the hand of any Assassin. When he wakes, he'll take his due, and after you will be sent to the Grandmaster of the Order to meet your death as is fit. Is this acceptable to both of you?" He looked at Jameel and Desmond.

Desmond nodded. Jameel nodded as well and added stiffly, "Fitting. Fitting indeed."

The two dragged Serenity and the chair up, tying her to it once more as Jameel took a seat beside the table and watched Lex. As Jameel watched, Desmond and Amir went upstairs to speak with Ezio, who was about to enter the arduous process of attempting to get a few hours' sleep.

X x X

Was it possible to feel heavy and lightheaded at the same time? He did. His eyelids, head, arms, legs, and chest felt like they'd been plastered, then cemented. His brain was foggy. Then he realized he was breathing and light was warming his eyelids.

What time was it? Didn't he have to get up soon to go on that flight with Jameel? Had his alarm not gone off again?

It came back in a rush, memory up until what felt like that last moment when his body had been catapulted backwards into blackness by near point blank gunfire. Lex opened his eyes and took in the view. Ceiling, kitchen, the Red Owl in the corner of his eye.

It was getting hard to breathe again. Was he dying now? No, tears were building up, sliding down the sides of his face from the corners of his eyes. As if he didn't have enough of a headache. His voice came out in a choked, wet rasp.

"I'm sorry. It's my fault. I'm sorry."

Jameel was immediately at his side on hearing the words. He ran his hand through his lover's hair and shook his head.

"They would have killed us both anyway. No deals are to be made with the Lion. He will play people for fools, just like the cat that plays with the mouse. Just such a fool is getting her punishment for putting us in that mess." He cupped the Sparrow's face between his hands, wiping his tears away with his thumbs, his gaze back to the gentle snowfall it became when he looked at Lex. "Don't cry." He placed a kiss on his bandaged brow, down his nose to his lips. "Don't cry." He wiped his face again gently with his sleeve. "Rest and recover."

Lex nodded and managed a ragged smile. At that moment, Desmond stuck his head around the corner.

"You awake, asshole?" was the first thing out of his mouth, at which Amir gave him a stout punch to the kidneys.

"Shut up, Desmond, or I'll make good on what I said before. Brother?" Amir looked down at the Journeyman, who had slipped back into the arms of sleep. He looked at Jameel. A slim smile was on the man's face, its owner having an almost serene look on his face. The Coal Tit let his mind wander and thought for a moment that he looked almost meditatively upon the Sparrow, but knew that he wasn't just staring into the ether for giggles. Jameel was keeping watch over him, if not with his eyes then his ears.

Taking a seat opposite him, Amir set his head atop the other's chest and listened to his steady breathing.

Lex awoke later, inhaling the smell of something good. His stomach groaned, wanting attention. As did another organ. The Sparrow clamped his teeth on whatever noise he'd make as he forced himself to his elbows, then a proper sit, then to the edge of the table and finally off. Pain hit him full blast then. _Okay. Take stock. First piss, then food, then pain killers._

Shivering, he took in his surroundings, tongue moving in his mouth and finding the hole where a tooth had been. He prodded at the tender gum and found Amir asleep in the chair Jameel had been in and Jameel not in sight. He looked to the one person who was there and conscious then, a woman, a stranger, staring at him.

"So, you are like the Christ, risen again?" she asked softly, although the sarcasm was evident in her voice.

"Just need the chamber pot," he whispered. The madam of the house waved him in its direction and went out into the street. Once his business was done, he dragged himself back through the kitchen, taking some bread with him as he went. Dropping into Amir's previously occupied seat, he began to eat.

As Lex moved about the floor, Serenity awoke. She had had a fitful, if any, sleep, her limbs were sore, and there was crusted blood on her face from Des, Amir, and Jameel's beating. Her ribs were bruised, if not broken-her every breath ached. She made sure of the others' sleeping states before she spoke.

"Lex, it's good to see you awake and about." She was cut off by a coughing fit that expelled a small amount of bloody from her mouth. "I had my reasons for doing what I did," she continued, "but I had to make you believe I betrayed you to reach my goal."

Lex ate laboriously, his focus on lifting the bread to his mouth all but blocking the sound of the woman's voice from reaching his ears.

Almost.

"Uh-huh. Sure." He finished off his meager meal, stood, and went over to the woman, using the furniture for support as he went. "You almost got him killed. That fucking cat was going to kill Jameel." The Sparrow's voice dripped acid. His limbs quaked. He wanted to wrap his fingers around her throat and squeeze.

Serenity looked away from his scornful stare and said almost inaudibly, "Lion would have died long before Jameel, _but_"-here her voice rose, her gaze moving back to him-"you just had to ruin everything with your so-called bravery act." A smile crossed her face that sent a trickle of fear along the young man's spine. "Oh, I almost forgot to mention this: the rest of your lovable band of birds was waiting for you to recover enough so you could have a go at me." She indicated with her head the current battered state she was in. "Jameel and Desmond were near on breaking my jaw, that laughable Assassin known as your brother has done a good job on my ribs, and that _idiota_ Auditore slept through it all." As she spoke, she began to move her hands, fighting to free them from the bonds. "I wouldn't want you to miss out on all the fun."

His blood ran cold at her words, fists curling tightly.

"I ruined everything, huh?" He went to the kitchen and took up a knife, coming back and cutting the bonds from her legs. He spat in her face as he untied her hands. "I'd like to see you kill that pussy." He shoved her, almost tipping the chair back. The Sparrow grabbed her by the front of the robes and punched her across the face. "And you think you can do whatever you want!" He shook her hard, panting, his ribs shrieking in protest. His right hand was in more pain than ever and the stitches on his upper arm had popped, blood coating the bandages. "And lemme tell you something, bitch. _Il gufo...Lui non sta andando essere la vostra!_" He swung at her again, from the left this time.

Serenity laughed almost maniacally at the treatment. One knee to the rib cage loosened his hold. Grabbing both his wrists in a hand, her nails digging into the bandaged skin, she flicked the knife from her boot and pressed it to his throat.

"_Ma oggi forse in futuro egli sara._" Her triumphant declaration was halted by a blade pressing to her own throat.

"_Se mi amate, lasciarlo andare,_" came the snarl in her ear. Jameel's eyes were cold daggers once again. Serenity spared Jameel a glance before jabbing her elbow back into his burned side. She then kneed Lex in the ribs again as the Owl's blade faltered, punching him in the jaw and sending him sprawling before she made for the door, calling over her shoulder, "_Siete fortunati oggi, passero, ma solo perche Jameel intervenuta!_" She paused long enough to blow the downed Red Owl a kiss and a wink before she was gone.

Lex found his feet and made for the door. He made it farther than he'd anticipated, out the door and down the stairs. There he planted his face in the cobbles. The Sparrow slapped the ground, unable to lift himself again. Blood welled under his arm.

"That stupid woman..." Jameel muttered, following Lex out and picking him back up onto his feet.

Amir was already out after the woman, scouring down the street for her as Desmond came pounding down the stairs, awakened by the commotion.

Lex didn't look at the Owl as he was lifted to his feet again. He couldn't. He stared into the distance in the direction the woman had gone until Jameel led him back inside, wiping the mud from his face.

"What the hell happened now?" Desmond asked.

"Woman escaped. She will get herself killed, I know it. Stupid, stupid girl." He sat the Sparrow down and removed the bandages, beginning to re-stitch the wound.

"What the hell is wrong with you, man?" ranted the barkeep, glaring at Lex, who kept his eyes lowered. "You untied her and for what? To get your ass handed to you? What were you thinking?" Amir returned as Desmond was saying, "You really blew it this time, Lex. I mean, seriously blew it. Big time."

The man stopped, finding himself fixed between two glares.

"I am at as much fault as he is," Jameel hissed, "so don't blame Lex alone. Blame the circumstances that left us wounded you two sleeping." He took up a roll of bandages and began binding over the fresh stitches. "We are only human and fallible on top of it. This is one mistake we'll have to correct and prevent in the future." He tied off the bandages. "She has to be stopped before she reveals the location of our headquarters. That is what he will want. That madman must never see this place, or any other place like it. He and his guards will kill everyone here, including the citizens."

In short, she would compromise everything. Everything. _It would be like Masyaf all over again._ Jameel looked at Amir, who looked back at him. Both remembered, and neither wanted that experience all over again. Masyaf had joined the things that played in his nightmares: Abbas' rise to power, the installation of the corrupt Council, Sef's murder, Malik's imprisonment, rescue, and beheading, Maria's murder, their mad dash for freedom, scattered to the winds: Gilbert and his wife and Marianna to Tartus, Amir and Darim with Altair to Egypt, himself to Mecca.

Lex finally raised his eyes for the first time in the past few minutes.

"I'll fix it. She'll be stopped." The Sparrow's voice was flat and hollow. He stood and made his way to the door. Amir moved after him, making sure to drop Desmond to his knees with a swift punch between the legs on the way. Reaching the door before his injured brother, he took him by the shoulders and held him in place.

Lex squirmed, trying to move around him. Amir pressed him to the doorway, kissing him hard. The Sparrow continued his wriggling for a moment, only to sigh and sink to a sit, the Coal Tit's arms around him, kneeling over his lap.

"_Bleib setzen, Bruder. Das ist ein Befehl._" He flew out the door and into the street, on the hunt for the woman.

X x X

Once back at the hide out, in her hidden section, a room in the back of the hearth, she changed into a new set of clothes and restocked her weapons. The only one missing with the glorious hidden gun. _Non importa. Prendo uno abbastanza presto._

"_Bambino stupido... Amato Jameel, perche abitudine potete vedere il bambino e solo problemi che aspettano di succedere?_" she muttered to herself as she began tending to her wounds She looked in the mirror and sighed. _Assassini stupidi tutti tranne me mutilato!_ She lashed out at the mirror impulsively, smashing it and garnering herself another series of wounds on her hand. Gathering what food she had, she looked at it. "_Acqua e pane raffermo?_" She sighed again. "_Avra a che fare._"

After cleaning up the glass shards, she looked at herself in the mirror. The woman then shed her emerald cloak and cut off her hair quickly at the nape of her neck. That done, she left the hide out.

Time for her next assignment. The Elephant's assassination.

**Ah—ah—ahk. Ahki… = Buh—Buh—Brother. My brother…**

**Ah dena mukk. In'a'al mayteen ehlak. Yela'an sabe'a jad lak. ****In'al yomak, khanzeera al matina. ****= Damn your mother's religion. Damn your dead. Damn your seventh grandfather. Curse the day you were born, pig in the mud.**

**Idiota = idiot**

**Il gufo… Lui non sta andando essere la vostra! ****= The owl… He's not gonna be yours!**

**Ma oggi forse in futuro egli sara = Maybe not now but in the future he will be.**

**Se mi amate, lasciarlo andare = If you love me, you will let him go.**

**Siete fortunati oggi, passero, ma solo perche Jameel intervenuta! ****= You are lucky today, sparrow, but only because Jameel intervened!**

**Bleib setzen, Bruder. Das ist ein Befehl. = Stay put, Brother. That's an order.**

**Non importa. Prendo uno abbastanza presto. ****= No matter. I'll get one soon enough.**

**Bambino stupid… Amato Jameel, perche abitudine potete vedere il bambino e solo problemi che aspettano di succedere? ****= Stupid child… Beloved Jameel, why can't you see that child is just a problem waiting to happen?**

**Assassini stupidi tutti tranne me mutilato! = Stupid Assassins almost mutilated me!**

**Acqua e panne raffermo? Avra a che fare = Stale water and bread? It will have to do.**

**Thank you all for waiting so long for these chapters. Three this weekend just for you to help get over the wait I put you loyal people through. Hope you enjoy them. :3 You keep reading, I'll keep writing.**


	12. Chapter XII

**Disclaimer: I don't own AC or its characters, Jameel, the Ravenwatch, the Animal Trio, and the Vultures belong to Kronoton, and Amir belongs to Badr.**

**Thanks to Tobi, Smeggi, and Storm for reviewing and Angelic Demon for favoriting, and thanks to those who've been reading and liking **_**New to the Creed **_**as well. I know last week I said that there would be three chapters that weekend, but two had to be pushed back due to various time constraints. Sorry for that, peeps. ^^; So, two this weekend for you. :3**

Venice, Italy  
1487

Serenity looked down at the man in the elephantine armor, watching as he waited for his brother's return in the growing light to take over his shift. Moving to stand over the man's head, she dropped from the roof.

At that moment, the Elephant happened to glance down, seeing the shadow coming toward him. He moved forward as fast as his bulky armor would allow, raising his spiked shield above his head for cover. Bringing it down before him as he turned, he glowered at the woman through the slits in his helmet.

The woman spun to face him, her hidden blade free of its sheath. The two circled one another slowly.

"So, it's the traitor to both sides," grumbled the man behind the Iron Elephant armor. "Come to kill me, have you? Finally decided where your allegiance lies?"

"Oh, Seiyr, you know me too well," Serenity purred. The Elephant stiffened suddenly. "And yet, you don't know me at all." The man toppled to the ground then, armor rattling as his body began to tremble within its metal casing. After a moment, he went still, or so she judged from the lack of sound within the metal. Two throwing knives were pressed into each of the eyeholes, the helm lifted up just enough to slit his throat as well.

The woman lifted her eyes to the culprit. The tall male stood in black feathers with a white ruff of feathers around his neck. His head was completely bald, his face covered with the intimidating mask of a vulture. The man stepped over the armored corpse and moved to Serenity, bending his head so their lips brushed beneath his beak-covered nose.

"_Lyubov' moya, mne nado idti,_" he murmured against her lips, stroking her shorn hair. She held onto his feathered back lightly, sighing and nodding. He stepped back and bowed to the woman. "_Peredavay privet sahvah ee vahrahbey._"

She nodded and whispered, "_Do svidaniya._" The Vulture gave her a long look before disappearing into the fading darkness of night. The woman climbed atop the roof behind her as the Lion came upon the scene. He gazed up at her for a long moment before releasing a roar as she, too, disappeared into the waning night.

The Steel Rhino skidded to a stop as he came to the scene.

"Brother, I heard your call," he started, then stopped, seeing what lay on the ground.

"Karna, our brother has been slain by the Assassins," said the Lion, looking toward the Rhino. "Their blades are still in his eyes." The Rhino let out a howl of rage and slammed his halberd against the wall beside him, the street below his feet, destroying cobbles and masonry until he was fit enough to speak.

"They are finished! Finished, Haidar! Summon your men! It's time we ceased playing games!"

"You are right, Karna, but before you go off to slay the murderers yourself, we must both see what was done to him in its full extent." The two men looked at one another. The Lion added, "You never know with these brutish bastards."

"You're right, Brother, and I will see it with my eyes open," the man snarled, removing his helm. He revealed a freshly shaven head, the faint gray pinpricks all that remained of a head of dark hair, far too cumbersome to keep locked in the sweltering heat of the Rhino head. His beaked nose was crooked to one side at the bridge, cheek bones broad and stormy eyes a dark brown that was often said to be black all in a dark brown face.

Kneeling, he pulled the knives free with a sickening squelching noise and removed the elephant head from over his brother's face. His gorge rose; he turned and loosed it shamelessly on the stones before coughing and releasing a noise somewhere between a sob and a groan, dragging the dead body into his arms.

A wide mouth had been sliced into his brother's throat, beneath his face. Out of the three brothers, Seiyr had always been the best-looking in Karna's mind. His face, dark as his own, was leaner for his age and studies, a few speckles of white hair studding his upper lip along with the normal black. Where once ever-amused gray eyes had been now were sockets filled with blood and fluid and a disgusting mush that resembled squashed grapes. Shuddering, he shut the man's eyes and cradled the equally hairless head against his chest.

Jerking his head skyward, he screamed, "_Io uccidero tutti! Io uccidero tutti! Senti, bastardi? Morte agli assassini!_"

X x X

The door to the servants' entrance opened and shut. The servant woman's head was lowered, her shoulders hunched; she looked as if she'd taken more than a good beating from her mistress for some wrong doing.

She moved into the building proper, limping along to add to the effect. As she moved by the stairs, Desmond looked at her. Having failed to rouse Ezio, who insisted on sleeping the day away, he had decided to return to his friends when the sight of the battered woman caught his eye. He squinted, a faint red light seeming to hang around her.

Frowning, he moved to the kitchen where the Coal Tit, Owl, and Sparrow sat.

"There's a rat in the brothel," he muttered in Arabic as he took a seat as well and looked at the others. "One of the sewer-crawling types." He watched as Lex made his way arduously to his feet, both Jameel and Amir moving to stand and help him. He motioned for them to remain seated.

"The rat is quick," he said, "but the Eagle sees all in daylight and the Owl is master of the night."

"And the Sparrow?"

"Songbirds are vicious little bastards." He limped toward the halls, the three men looking after him before following and melting into the shadows. Lex looked down another hall as he walked, catching sight of the woman Desmond had mentioned. He turned, treading silently after her.

The woman continued down the hall, quickening her pace a bit. Her eyes darted over her shoulder, then down the hall. She took a quick left; the Sparrow followed. She'd have to do something about him. She turned as a loud creak sounded behind her. Nothing. Was it one of the other servants?

The woman unsheathed the dagger from her boot and edged down the hall, turning to the left, looking down the hall there. No one. She turned to go back the way she'd come.

Lex swung down from his perch on the rafter above the woman, knocking her back down the hall as he landed on the floor in a crouch.

"Man, I've been waiting to do that!" He advanced on the woman, who, now with her hood knocked down, he saw clearly was Serenity. His hands were shrieking in protest from his actions thus far, as was the rest of his body, but he was out to prove a point and wouldn't stop now.

The woman leapt to her feet almost as soon as she was brought down, throwing the dagger. The boy moved his head to the side; the blade clattered against the floor beyond.

"I said I'd fix this," he said, seeming to speak to himself, "so I'm fixing it." He lunged. Serenity blocked his punch, but just barely. Even injured, he was fast. _When did he get so fast?_ She moved to the side. He kicked at her injured ribs again.

"_Bastardo!_" she spat, taking the blow in order to throw a punch at his head. The Sparrow caught her wrist, then punched her in the throat. She gasped, coughed, head butted him. He brought his foot back quickly to steady himself, then brought it forward again in a snap kick to her knee. She fell back.

Amir lifted a brow as he watched the scene from his spot in the shadows above them. This was turning out to be very different from what he'd imagined. Jameel, down in his spot in the shadows of a doorway, was also surprised. He lingered in the darkness, watching the fight unfold. The lesson had been taught to him long ago in Masyaf, but he had let it lay dormant until now: When Lex wanted to fight, he could most definitely fight. So far, the Red Owl hadn't been needed, but if he was, he wasn't far away.

Serenity backed up against the wall opposite Jameel's hiding place, blocking as many blows as she gave. This wasn't turning out how she planned. In fact, this was humiliating. _When the hell did this little Ganymede get so good?_ The woman dropped and rolled as another punch came her way, hooking the boy's leg and jerking.

Lex dropped to the side as his foot was tugged out from under him, landing with his full weight upon the Vixen. She screamed as her battered ribs were injured even further. The Sparrow grabbed her shoulder quickly, straddling her as he pinned her down and started in on her face with his fists. He kneed her in the gut before standing, watching her.

Serenity made as if to curl up around her sore abdomen, then twisted, ready to bolt for the knife she'd discarded in her first throw. The Sparrow brought his foot down hard on the small of her back. Once, twice or good measure. Breathing hard, he crouched beside her head.

"You don't fuck with me." Then, just to add insult to injury, he smacked her upside her head and added in his best Tony Soprano voice, "_Capisce?_"

He stood and looked at the Master Assassin in the shadows, the pain he'd put his body through finally reaching his senses. The Red Owl emerged from the darkness and grabbed her up, keeping his hand clenched over her mouth as he moved her to the kitchen and sat her in a chair, tying her fast to it. He for one did not want her to escape again. _Perhaps Amir can stab her in the face for us. That'll fix all this disorder she's caused._

"Jameel," she pleaded, "Jameel, please, listen to me." Amir, moving up to the chair, backhanded her into silence. _That felt good. That felt very, very good._ The silence only lasted a moment, however, as Serenity started again with, "Please, Jameel, say something to me. Anything."

Jameel gave her a cruel stare and said one word: "Traitor."

"I am not a traitor! I love you! I love you! I love you! I love you!"

The woman fell silent as Lex began to move. Was he coming to hit her too? In a sense. The blow he gave her did far more damage than any physical wound could. The Sparrow pulled the Master Assassin down to his level and kissed him full on the mouth. Another action was a stab to her heart of hearts: the Red Owl visibly returning the kiss, his arms drawing the Journeyman to his chest as he took a knee to enjoy the kiss in comfort.

The room was silent. A graveyard had more noise from the growing grass. Desmond glanced at his watch. A full minute and the two were still kissing, gripped onto each other. Just when he began to wonder how long the Assassins would be there sucking face, they parted, slowly, reluctantly, breathing heavily against each other's lips.

Desmond looked at Amir. The Coal Tit looked back at him, then at the woman. The barkeep looked to her as well.

Serenity was gaping. She looked like she was going to cry, really. Eventually, she did start crying. Her voice returned to her with all of what sounded to the bartender to be soap opera fashion.

"Why?" At first her voice was a whiny little whimper. "Why?" It turned to a raging scream. "Why him? Why that little bastard dog?" She threw herself back and forth, side to side against her bonds. "Why, Jameel? What can he give you? He isn't worthy of you!"

Jameel deigned to give the woman an answer: "I've known him a lot longer than you."

With that, the two standing there looking at the woman gave each other another look before hoisting her up between them, chair and all, and carrying her to one of the wardrobes upstairs. There they trussed her up like a Christmas goose and tossed her into the wardrobe, shutting the doors behind them.

As Amir and Desmond carried Serenity up to the second floor, the Sparrow took a seat and set his chin on the sore, stinging, bleeding heels of his hands, looking up at the Red Owl.

"Hey, Jameel?" He took a moment to draw a deep breath and brace himself for the possible storm to come. "If I told you to leave, if we were caught again like we were and you had the chance to escape, would you?" Jameel looked at him, frowning. He took his lover's chin gently between his fingers, meaning to lift it, only to startle as Lex jerked himself back. The man's frown deepened, brows pinching together as he set his hands over the Sparrow's shoulders and crouched in front of him.

"I would never leave you, Lex, not willingly. I tried to come back to you, but the others held me back." Lex's eyes lowered. Jameel squeezed his shoulders. "I did. They had to knock me out to keep me from running headlong into gun and cannon fire to get you out of that outpost." He swallowed. "Believe me, Lex, I would always come for you, whatever it took." Jameel took his face between his hands and looked him in the eyes.

"You've had a brush with death and survived. You're stronger for it now, my love, much stronger. You survived. You're alive, with me, in my arms. You survived. Now you can plan ahead, since you know what they're capable of, and keep surviving." Lex looked at him for a while before finally dipping his head once in a nod.

Amir looked over at Desmond as they dragged Ezio up and down the stairs. The man's face was blank, the owner lost in thought.

"I've got it!" The bartender jumped down the rest of the stairs, leaving his ancestor and the Coal Tit to catch up. "Dawn and dusk."

"What about them?"

"Well, the Lion runs around at night and the other two during the day. What about dusk and dawn?"

"Most of the Crows are out at dusk and dawn, clearing the next patrols to make their rounds. Those that attempt to follow them to know where they go are either killed or chased away. Now they have guns that do the job quicker..."

"What the hell can we do then when the Templars own the streets?"

From his seat, Lex shrugged and mumbled, "Fly?"

"Leonardo." Amir grinned. The others looked at him. "We _can_ fly."

"Fly?" Jameel looked at Amir, confused. "How can we fly?"

"Using one of Leonardo's inventions."

"What invention?"

"You'll see." The group set out to Leonardo's shop.

X x X

The pain in her body was nothing compared to the pain of her heart being torn into tiny pieces seeing Jameel and Lex kissing so intimately. The tears had long since dried up; she almost lost the urge to struggle, wanting to accept her fate. _No, no, no,_ she thought, staring into the gloom within the wardrobe. _Jameel loves me. That boy has simply blinded him, turned him to a sinner's ways. Jameel, why are you tempted so easily by that little Satan? He is even named for the bird that alerted the killer of Christ to his retaining some bit of life!_ Her mind homed in on the problem: Lex.

A stream of obscenities and curses spewed from her mouth as she began to struggle in earnest, kicking at the door of the wardrobe and startling a passing servant. The woman stared at the wardrobe before going over and opening it. Bending down, she untied the woman she found there, only to be knocked flat, the one she rescued rushing out into the passage and down the stairs, hurrying out the door.

_He will pay. He will pay for bewitching you, beloved Jameel. I will make you see reason and the true path again._

"_Passerotto e volato il suo ultimo volo!_"

Retrieving her weapons from where the Assassins had stowed them, found easily enough in the bordello's limited rooms, she strapped on her equipment and headed out into the night.

X x X

The Assassins moved into Leonardo's shop. The man looked up, smiling at Ezio and Amir as the two explained the situation. Lex looked up at the glider that hung above the floor, moving up the stairs to it and testing his weight against the frame.

Lex moved back onto the rail properly, looking at the glider. No, not at the glider, beyond it.

"You okay, man?" He looked at Desmond. "You look like you saw a ghost or something."

"Nah. Just a chill." Lex dropped from the rail and moved on up the stairs as Amir and Jameel came to inspect the glider, Ezio still speaking with Leonardo. The Sparrow looked out of the window, gnawing his lip. _Maybe I did see a ghost. Or at least someone that couldn't possibly be there._ He leaned against the wall of the room, watching as rain began to come down.

"_Dio mio,_" he heard Leonardo say from the floor below as thunder rumbled. The Sparrow blinked, looking at the window again. The glass had been broken. His eyes followed the trail of pieces, leading to a crossbow bolt in the door. Another peal of thunder. He swallowed, looking at the fletch that was brushing his cheek. He took to his heels, swinging out the back window and up onto the roof.

Amir looked up at the pounding of feet, seeing a brown streak go by in the corner of his eye.

"_Ahk?_" He moved after Lex, moving onto the roof. "_Ahk!_" he called, trying to make his voice louder than the rain, watching small clouds of debris pop up from a chimney that Lex was hiding behind, shots ricocheting off the surface.

Lex lifted his head, turning toward Amir. He stood, only to scream and clutch at his face, falling to the rooftop, a line cut through his eyebrow. "_Ahk, hal anta bikhair?_"

"_La! Yela'an! Al-la-ma!_" Lex uncovered his face, squinting at him through the blood and the rain. "Amir, _lauf! Lauf! Sie ist es!_" Amir pressed his belly to the tiles, moving toward him. The Coal Tit flinched back, shielding his eyes as a bullet pinged of the roof near his head, scattering bits of tile. "_Lauf, du scheissdummer Junge! Tu es! Jetzt! Das ist ein Befehl!_" He flinched as another bullet streaked past his head, screaming fit to rival the thunder, "_YALLAH!_" Amir dropped down into the artist's home again, hurrying to the others.

Lex scrambled across the roofs, bullets and bolts flying around him. Reaching a flat roof, he turned and shouted into the rainy world, "I know it's you! Come out!"

Laughter sounded close by him. Lex turned in a circle, swallowing, fear mounting. He couldn't listen for his opponent—the rain's white noise barely made the laughter audible. He couldn't see her either. Smells were washed away. He let out a frightened yell as the woman rushed him, a grin on her face that would have made Stephen King's demonic clown hide under the covers.

She was armed from waist to shoulders, slashing at him with her sword.

"_Passerotto e volato il suo ultimo volo!_" she shouted in his face, grasping the knife in her belt and swung. He dodged back, only to have her foot land hard on the side of his head. Lex staggered back, grasping the edge of a rooftop garden and catching himself. He wiped the blood from his face, though the rain already had begun to wash it away, and snarled, feinting to the woman's right before coming at her left with a hard roundhouse. His blade snaked up as he unsheathed it, a contingency plan should the kick fail.

Serenity grabbed his leg, slamming him into the tiles and pinning his blade arm with her foot, grinding it down until he screamed. Leaning down, she unclasped his bracer from his wrist, having shifted her foot to his mangled hand, his wails increasing in agony as she tossed the weapon away, off the roofs.

The woman sneered down at him before kicking his ribs a few times. "You messed with the wrong woman, catamite." She hauled him up and threw him against one of the nearby chimneys. Pain shot through the young man's head and back as he slammed against the stone. Dragging himself to his feet, using the chimney for support, he launched himself at Serenity, taking them to the edge of the roof. Grabbing one of her knives, he moved to slit her throat.

Serenity bucked upwards, rolling, sending them both over the edge. The two landed in the haystack below. Lex gagged as his back hit the bottom of the wagon. He soon found his back the least of his problems as knuckles began to strike his face repeatedly. Serenity only paused when her fist was red with blood, leaning down and hissing into her victim's ear, "You will wish the Lion had made you die."

Lex drew a ragged breath and spat a wad of blood into her face, lashing out with a kick to her ribs. Grasping the edge of the cart, he dragged himself out and onto the street, wiping at the stalks that clung to his reddened, wet face.

He rolled aside as her blade came down for his neck, only to be grabbed up, her fist beating at his face and chest as she pinned him down and began to beat him in earnest, adding in blows to his stomach for good measure. She raised her blade over the figure wheezing beneath her, then looked toward the canal before them. She gasped as she was suddenly pinned beneath him, his fists beating her about the face this time. Knocking him back with a punch to the mouth, she kicked him hard in the chest, sending him back hard against the wall behind him.

Standing, she grabbed him by the hair and dragged shoved his head into the water. She yanked his head up again, watching him gasp for breath. The woman screamed as the Assassin lunged forward and sank his teeth into her ankle, pitching forward in an attempt to shake him off and landing in the canal, dragging him with her.

His teeth bit into her face this time, his fist punching her in the gut. He slammed the traitor up against the canal wall as they surfaced, reaching for her throat.

"You crazy bastard!" Serenity grabbed the dagger from her belt and bashed his head with the hilt, slashing a diagonal line from the base of his neck to the middle of his torso, punching him hard in the jaw to follow up the strike. Lex grabbed onto the wall and dragged himself up, rolling onto the bank, breathing hard as he struggled to rise and run.

Serenity rose from the water, teeth gritted. "I'm not finished yet, runt." She reached down to lift him up. He grabbed her, kneeing her in the gut, twisting so she was beneath him. He spat into her eyes and sent punches left and right into her face until he felt a horrible pain in one of his knuckles. Serenity rolled to her feet and grabbed him up by the robes again, throwing him against the wall of the nearest building.

She sliced an identical mark into his chest as he tried to move away, leaving a bloody X there, pounding his ribs and face once more until the Sparrow was leaning heavily against the wall, coughing out blood. Still the blows rained down. Her arm flexed, fingers moving, hidden blade extending.

The Sparrow's eyes widened as the blade slipped between his ribs, her knuckles almost touching his chest. Blood pooled onto his robes as he stared at his attacker.

She sneered at him. "Go to hell." Ripping the blade from his chest, she grasped the front of his robes as he sagged against the wall, raising her arm to put the blade in his throat.

"_LA!_" Serenity's grip left his front, Lex slipping down the wall to what he would have found an uncomfortable sit but for the fast-growing numbness in his body. He looked at the one who'd screamed and couldn't bring his face into its normal expression of confusion.

For a moment, he saw Amir, standing and looking at them, wide-eyed, mouth open. His teeth were gritted in a snarl a second later. Then, for a moment, Amir disappeared. A man stood in his place, the same hair, black, white-streaked down the center, if a bit longer, doused flat by the rain. Lines touched the edges of his mouth and eyes, the still narrowed eyes, the still snarling mouth. The face that held the mouth had stubble around the jaws, his chin sporting a small goatee and his upper lip carrying a thin mustache.

Then Amir returned, charging toward the woman, screaming. His movements were too fast to follow—more, he felt in the back of his mind, to his eyes' current unwillingness to do so—and Serenity was on the ground within moments, eyes staring wide, chest still, though no wounds were on her body.

The man was back, kneeling in front of him, whispering in a voice he might have found warm, maybe even described as sultry in a better moment, but for the current choking sob in it, "_Ahk! Ahk! Ahk al-sagheer!_"

"_Ah...k...al-ahkbar...?_" he wheezed.

"Shhh! Shhh, shh." A hand pressed to his chest hard, covering the wound. "_Sei still, Bruderherz, Ich bin hier. Dein Prinz ist hier. Du bist sicher. Du bist sicher, das verspreche Ich. Ich verspreche, verstehst du?_"

"Hssssst!" Amir looked up at the noise. "Hsst!" He looked toward the source of the noise, a young man in colorful clothing, almost gaudily so, shades of mauve, gold, and black. "Give him here." The Coal Tit clutched his brother to his chest. "I know Nico and Maria." Hearing this, he stood and gave the boy a stern, warning stare.

"Take him. Make sure he is safe, or I'll come for you for breaking my promise to him. Your head will be mounted on the nearest church should that happen, your balls stuffed in your mouth." The young man nodded and took the bloodied body into his arms, hurrying off into the streets beyond as Amir turned his focus to Serenity.

"I once said that a thousand needles should be stuffed into that gaping hole between your legs that leads all the way to the Inferno. Well, let's double that number, shall we? Oh, and I'm going to be putting them in one by one. You'll be delighted to know, I'm sure, that you'll feel every single one."

When the rain cleared, the night guard alerted the Lion, who came to see what they had found. A nude woman hung from one of the trellises sporting its green vines, bound there by her own entrails. Her body, moving upward from her crotch, could be seen to be stuffed with long, bone needles. Stuffed between her lips were a bunch of gray, black, and white feathers.

Carved squarely across her chest, breast to breast, was a single sentence: _Non toccare mio fratello._

**Lyubov' moya, mne nado idti. Peredavay privet sahvah ee vahrahbey. ****= My love, I must go. Give my regards to owl and sparrow.**

**Do svidaniya. = Goodbye.**

**Io uccidero tutti! Io uccidero tutti! ****Senti, bastardi? Morte agli assassini! = I'll kill you all! I'll kill you all! You hear, bastards? Death to the Assassins!**

**Bastardo! = Bastard!**

**Capisce? = Understand? Said Kuh-peesh**

**Passerotto e volato il suo ultimo volo! ****= Little sparrow has flown his last flight!**

**Dio mio = My God**

**Ahk, hal anta bikhair? = Brother, are you okay?**

**La! Yela'an! Al-la-ma! ****Amir, ****lauf! ****Lauf! Sie ist es! Lauf, du scheissdummer Junge! Tu es! Jetzt! Das ist ein Befehl! YALLAH! = No! Damn it! It hurts! Amir, run! Run! It's her! Run, you fucking stupid boy! Do it! Now! That's an order! MOVE IT!**

**Ahk al-sagheer = Little brother**

**Ahk al-ahkbar = Big brother**

**Sei still, Bruderherz, Ich bin hier. Dein Prinz ist hier. Du bist sicher. Du bist sicher, das verspreche Ich. Ich verspreche, verstehst du? = Be still, brother dear, I'm here. Your prince is here. You're safe. You're safe, I promise. I promise, understand?**

**Non toccare mio fratello. = Never touch my brother.**

**If I've screwed up on any of the languages, especially the Arabic and Russian, please let me know. Sorry for the long wait again, my readers. I hope you enjoy enough to keep reading as I'll keep writing, even if it takes a little bit to get the silly things up on FF. ^^;**


	13. Chapter XIII

**Disclaimer: I don't own AC or its characters, Jameel and Ravenwatch belong to Krono, and Amir belongs to Badr.**

Venice  
1487

Nico opened the door as shouting came from the outside.

"_Drab! Drab! Drabengro! Drabarni!_" Luca shouted, all but falling inside as he went to kick the door again, a body in his arms. The apothecary looked at the Romani boy standing there with a bloody body in his arms for a moment before hurrying to the back, shouting, "_Maria, hilfe!_"

"_Was ist los?_" The woman flew down the stairs, her hair pulled into a hasty tail as Luca moved inside the apothecary, Nico sweeping clean the table in the back. "_Dieser Junge..._"

"He was stabbed." Luca set him down on the table and moved back out of the way. "Stabbed in the chest."

"Luca, move out into the front. Go, now, we need this place clean! Keep people back on the outside while we work!" Nico barked. The boy nodded and hurried out. "This is going to be difficult. _Mierda..._"

The apothecary looked at his wife before setting to work.

X x X

"Serenity is here!" Amir had yelled to them and taken off. By the time the others in the room had looked, Jameel had gone as well, looking for the Sparrow. _That...__**bitch**__!_ He continued to prowl as he made his way through the city. They couldn't have gone far. It was impossible. The rain must've hampered them as much as him.

_I cannot lose him! I refuse! Not when he's so close, I can feel him!_ Jameel flinched as something zipped by his ear. _An arrow? No, too fast, too small!_ The bullet _ping_ed off the corner of a chimney in front of him, taking a chunk from it. He broke into a run. The Red Owl flinched as another round flew by him, dodging to the left and right, hiding behind towers and chimneys.

He dropped into an alley, staggering and pressing himself against the nearest doorway, watching as the Crows leaped by overhead. The Master Assassin moved out into the streets, only to be jostled and forced to snag the running, hooded figure.

"Finally! Amir, where is he?" He frowned as he saw the Coal Tit's expression. "Amir, where's Lex?"

"Maria and Nico's. Go there. It's a hideout." Jameel opened his mouth, but was shoved in the direction of the apothecary. "A Rom boy will be at the front! Go!" Amir then darted off as if he was being chased by a massive army. The Red Owl did the same. Bullets began to clip at his heels again as he ran. _Damn all their eyes! Damn their Vixen! Damn them all!_ A bomb arrow screamed past his head and blew up a chunk of wall next to him. The rain did nothing to dampen the debris coming down around him.

Jameel dashed around the next corner he came to and through several alleys, managing to lose them after turning another corner. Leaning against the wall, he tried to catch his breath, but found the rain was beginning to slacken. Shoving onward, he reached the hideout and shoved his way inside, shutting the door behind him.

"Where is he?" he demanded, only to find the only person there was a young boy. "Where is the apothecary? Where is my Sparrow?"

"Your what?" Luca moved back as the tall man advanced on him, only for the Assassin to halt as the door opened to the other room. Maria looked at the Red Owl.

"You've come for the boy? You'll have to wait. He's injured badly. Luca, more water and bandages, please, and needle and thread. Quickly!" The Romani boy shot off. Jameel caught a glimpse inside the room before the door was shut again. He ran to the entrance of the little shop and vomited onto the cobbles.

X x X

Jameel started as a hand pressed his shoulder, hidden blade springing free of its sheath.

"_La, la, la!_" Nico held up his hands, breathing quickly, eyes wide, having jumped back from the blade. "_Sadiq. Sadiq._" Jameel blinked at hearing the Arabic coming from the little Spaniard, but then remembered the Moors.

"_Btihk l-'arabi?_"

Nico grinned. "_Solo un poquito. Una palabra aquí, una palabra allí. Y usted habla español, señor._" He spread his arms. "_Me siento honrado._" His face grew serious as he lowered his arms, returning to Italian. "Your friend was hurt badly, _signore_. Very badly. He is also very lucky. I'm not sure what saint you prayed to for that, but you might give them an offering."

"I didn't pray."

"You might start making ablutions then, if you don't want to thank fickle Lady Fortuna that the blade missed his heart." He held his finger and thumb together as close as he could without having them touch. "By that much." Jameel felt a lump of fear growing in his throat. "We'll have to watch him a few days, perhaps longer."

"Will he live?"

"I cannot say. There is a risk of infection, as with any time a person is cut open."

"He has to live."

"That's up to time and him, not me, though you can help. Go sit with him." Nico stepped back and leaned against the wall. "Oh, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't threaten Luca again."

"I made no threats." Jameel stood. The little Spaniard looked him up and down and waved his hand at him, laughing. "What?"

"If a man said to call the brute squad and you came and said you were on the brute squad, _signore_, that same man would respond that you _are_ the brute squad." Shaking his head, he went upstairs. Jameel shook his head and went into the back room.

When he saw the Journeyman lying on the table, his first thought was that he was well and truly dead this time. His body was a bloodless pale, his chest unmoving. He sprang closer, all but knocking over the table in his haste. No, there, there it was. He was breathing. He was at least breathing.

The Red Owl limped outside and took the position of the sun before taking stock of his own wounds. Someone had bandaged a gash in his leg—how had he not felt that or awoken from it?—and bruises decorated his body. Shedding his shoes and rolling back his sleeves and pants, lowering his hood, he found a bowl of clean water and washed his face and neck, arms and legs, feet and hands. Then turned to the east.

X x X

_Venice, day unknown, 1487_

What is the scope of failure should a loved one lie dying in a little apothecary in Venice? This cannot be the end. It cannot. But he lies there so still, no matter what I ask of God. I cannot be sure if he'll live.

Give me some sign. Some sign that you'll live, little bird. That's all I want...

The rest of the writing was cut off from his sight by Jameel's body. The Sparrow looked at him for a long moment, trying to get his bleary vision to focus. Reaching out, he ran a hand through his hair.

"_Boomah._" Jameel lifted his head, looking at the boy who lay flush-faced before him. He reached over, holding his face between his hands. Heat coursed up his palms. "I dunn feel good."

"What the hell, Amir?" interrupted whatever Jameel was going to say. Desmond's voice. Desmond. Jameel clenched his fists, jaw working silently before he pressed a finger to the younger man's lips and went to the front of the room. "You had to drag us all over here?" Desmond stood with his arms folded in front of Amir, Ezio to one side, speaking with Maria.

"Eaglet." Desmond jerked his head around at the low voice. The Red Owl fixed him in place with his stare. "There's hay behind the building here for you to fuck yourself in, if that's what you so desire, but should you not, I suggest you sit down and shut your mouth before I permanently shut it for you!" The man dropped to a sit. "Does anyone else have any unnecessary noise to make?" His eyes raked the gathered Assassins and their allies before he turned on his heel and return to the room he'd exited.

"So that's what an Arab is like," Ezio muttered and was rewarded with a swift kick in the shin from Amir. "_Ay! Merda, ragazzo!_"

The fever kept up its unbroken heat for several days so that Jameel paced the entire house and the street around it when it was safe enough, the crowds thick enough, for the little shop was truly a booming business. The little family was actually helped in attracting customers, Jameel noticed one day, by a little owl that danced at the front window.

He was there by no chains or jesses that he could see, and it didn't seem either Nico or Maria had taught him the little trick. The owl hopped about and hooted quite merrily all on his own and when it wasn't it had taken to seating itself on his leg. Jameel, when not with Lex, took up watch at the front door, scanning every person who came to collect their medicines for signs of Templar affiliation.

When he took up the watch at night as well, Maria finally said, "All right, _Eulchen, genug_. Ladron can take your turn at watch. He's fresher than you in any case." Jameel looked at the woman and pointed to the small owl that was eating a little rat who'd haplessly come into the shop. "Yes, Ladron can do your job for tonight. Go and get some rest with your Alessio. Go on, off with you. Shoo."

The tall man shook his head, but complied, stretching out his stiff limbs and returning to where Lex lay huddled beneath several blankets, which Nico had piled on during the night and taken off during the day several times now. The Master Assassin scrubbed down his legs and arms once more, splashing his face before crawling under the mound of covers and wrapping the shivering young man in his arms.

"You remember Damas?" A nod followed by a groan. Jameel reached down, taking the cup from the chair it was set on and letting the Sparrow have a drink. "We were both sweating, but it was so cold. The poisoned heated us so that I thought I was going to drip fat like _shawarma_." A weak laugh came from his companion.

"Iron Man."

"What?"

"Iron Man," Lex whispered. "He's a genius billionaire playboy philanthropist. He invites the other Avengers for _shawarma_, doesn't even know what it is. Just happy to be alive." Jameel chuckled, kissing his cheek.

"As you are, I assume, or you wouldn't be talking about something I don't understand."

"You'll know it soon enough. Give it a few hundred years."

"I think the fever's borrowed your tongue, my sweet Sparrow." Jameel reached to where Lex's hands were pressed to his chest, twining his fingers with one, his other arm slipping beneath Lex's head. He kissed his cheek again before whispering in his ear, "_Adhhib il-ba's, Rabbi l-nnas washfi anta—_"

"_—al-Shaafi laa shifaa ailla,_" Lex panted, struggling to swallow before continuing, "_shifaa uka shifaa an laa yughaadir saqaman._"

"_Amen, 'usfur._" Lips pressed over his. "'_As'alullaahal-'Adheema Raabal-'Arshil-'Adheemi 'an yashfiyaka._"

"Say that seven times fast." Another kiss, longer this time. "_Shukran._"

"_Afwan, habibi._ Go to sleep now." Jameel settled himself onto his back, stroking the other's head as he let his own eyes close to get a little sleep.

X x X

"So, how much of this do I put into the bowl?" Lex asked, holding up the herbs. Maria looked over at her student, going toward him. The young man flinched back from her. She sighed. It had been two months since he'd come to them. He still battled the infection and he still flinched at the approach of a woman.

"No, _Spaetzlein_," she said gently, "you don't put any of that in unless you want our poor patient to have an erection."

"He'd be a happy man then." Lex grinned. Maria sighed softly and returned his grin with a smile. She reached and took the herbs from his trembling fingers, replacing them with another.

"You see the leaves? How they're different?" He nodded. "Good. Now-" The two looked up as Nico threw open the door. "Nico?"

"_Puta la madre! Hijo de mil putas! Pinche pito de pitufo!_" The door to the back room was slammed shut. Maria looked at Lex before hurrying into the room.

"_Was ist los, mein Ehemann?_"

"_Esta vida es un asco! __Eso es lo que es!_" The voices grew quieter. Lex frowned, beginning to pace outside the door, trying to hear what all was going on inside. He sighed and went to the door, opening it a crack, enough to hear.

"Maria, _por favor_!"

"Shhh, _mein kleines. Ein paar Kuesse werden da helfen._"

"_Ahora?_"

"_Jetzt._" Lex froze as Nico groaned, the Spaniard's hand gripping the table. Bandages lay in a loose pile to one side of Nico's leg. "_Ich liebe dich, mein Schatz._" Lips pressed to Nico's chest, less flat than before, the other hand on the other side, squeezing lightly.

"_Te amo también, mi tesoro,_" Nico whispered, eyes opening halfway. The Spaniard startled as Lex was spotted, freezing. Maria looked up at feeling the jolt that passed through her companion, turning to see the Sparrow standing there, struck dumb.

"Alessio, there is a reason most people knock on closed doors." Lex felt his face heat up further than it was before, his eyes flicking between the two women before he slid back a step and shut the door.

**Drab! Drab! Drabengro! Drabarni! = Medicine! Medicine! Healer! Healer!**

**Maria, hilfe! = Maria, help!**

**Was ist los? Dieser Junge… = What's wrong? This boy…**

**Mierda = Shit**

**Sadiq = Friend**

**Btihk l-'arabi? = You speak Arabic?**

**Solo un poquito. Una palabra aquí, una palabra allí. Y usted habla español, señor. ****Me siento honrado. = Only a little. A word here, a word there. And you speak Spanish, sir. I feel honored.**

**Boomah = Owl**

**Eulchen, genug****. = Owlet, enough.**

**Shawarma = meat turned on an upright spit, usually put into a gyro sandwich**

**Adhhib il-ba's, Rabbi l-nnas washfi anta al-Shaafi laa shifaa aillashifaa uka shifaa an laa yughaadir saqaman. = Remove the harm, O Lord of humankind and heal him, for You are the Healer and there is no healing except Your healing, with a healing which does not leave any disease behind.**

'**Usfur = Sparrow/little bird**

**As'alullaahal-'Adheema Raabal-'Arshil-'Adheemi 'an yashfiyaka. = I ask Almighty Allah, Lord of the Magnificent Throne, to make you well.**

**Puta la madre! Hijo de mil putas! ****Pinche pito de pitufo! = Mother fucker! Son of a thousand bitches! Fucking Smurf dick!**

**Was ist los, mein Ehemann? = What's wrong, my husband?**

**Esta vida es un asco! Eso es lo que es! = This life is a mess! That's what it is!**

**Por favor = Please**

**Mein kleines = My Little one**

**Ein paar Kuesse werden da helfen. = Let me kiss it better (lit. A couple of kisses are there to help.)**

**Ahora? = Now?**

**Jetzt = Now**

**Ich liebe dich, mein Schatz = I love you, my treasure**

**Te amo también, mi tesoro = I love you too, my treasure**

**Second chapter for this weekend. :3 Hope you lot like it. And what a twist at the ending! *ducks shoes* Okay, okay, like always, please feel free to check over my languages, Romani, Spanish, and Arabic appreciated. Thank you. And please, do keep reading. I'll keep writing.**


	14. Chapter XIV

**Hey, guys, sorry for taking forever to get the new chapter uploaded. It should not have taken this long to get the bloody thing up, but my muses decided to take a vacation in Tajikistan or someplace. I figure you lot know who all the OCs belong to now, so AC belongs to Ubisoft.**

**Thanks to everybody who's been so patient as to not frying pan me to death for taking so long. And without further ado…**

Venice, Italy  
1487

_Venice, Thursday, 1487_

The stress seems to be overcoming me these days. Crazies all around and all eyes are fixed on me, I feel. My face looks a bit like my clothing, moth-eaten with tears and slashes. I look worse for wear, as the saying goes. There are holes in my robes. Some holes in places where if the bullets had moved half an inch more, they would have killed me, or at the very least severely wounded me. The worst case, cripple me so badly I could not assassinate even an ant. I would have to be killed for being relatively useless in this day and age. Rafiqs _are gone. Not just that, but I know the Brotherhood, and being a civilian with that knowledge would be more than dangerous._

At least the eyes are not fixed on my Sparrow or those who have cared for him these past three months. Nico and Maria are such civilians that could be endangered by our very presence, though they have passed Skandar off well as a relative of the Romani boy with whom they have a relationship of a sort.

That, at least, is what they tell the other customers who question his presence. He is Romani; he was injured by the guard of one of the city noblemen for not getting out of his way quickly enough. It is believable, a story many can attest to and feel sympathy for, even if they leer at the two of them now, Luca and Skandar. Luca is a shrewd enough boy. He might make a good Assassin, if not a good leader, one day. I might see about asking him to join us should the opportunity be apt.

Jameel lifted his head from his writing, marking the page with a ribbon and looking at Amir, who'd placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Go and rest, Uncle," said the boy. "It's my turn to watch over Brother. If you're needed, we'll find a way to call you." The Red Owl nodded and dried the ink on the page before shutting the book and stowing it away with his inkwell and quills in a small pack. The Assassins had taken to rotating between the safe houses—one to Antonio's, one to Paula's, one to Bartolommeo, their newest ally's place, and one to Nico and Maria's to stay with Lex—during this latest month of the Sparrow's convalescence.

Moving to the back room where Lex slept, the Red Owl settled a hand on his head, stroking it before kissing his cheek and departing to Paula's to a proper bed and proper sleep. Not that the apothecary couple hadn't provided such accommodations, but that his paranoia had prevented him from sleeping in naught but a chair when in the shop, the awful crick in his neck evidence of such madness. At least with the brothel Madame and her girls he could be assured he was safe. None trifled with women who knew Ezio Auditore so personally. Besides, he suspected the Madame Paula wore her hidden blade tucked somewhere up her skirts in case of trouble.

The icy eyes glanced skyward as he moved into the narrow street that led to the door of the brothel. _The enemy doesn't know where he sleeps. Let it stay this way._

X x X

Lex sighed as he opened his eyes, going cross-eyed as he looked at the pudgy little hand grasping his nose. Another fist was in his hair. Nadya giggled, squealing and tugging at his head before patting a little too hard on his cheek.

"That hurts, y'know." She grinned a grin as only babies could and babbled at him merrily. "Why do babies always need to grip things? I know you do that as part of your development, but why my face and my hair?" Nadya leaned down and squashed his head with her belly. "Mmrrph..."

"Nadya, what are you doing, _Schatzile_? Suffocating our poor guest?" asked Maria as she stood with her arms folded in the doorway. The little girl squealed and crawled toward her, hugging her around the neck. Lex sat up on his elbows and shook his hair from his eyes. "_G'morsche, Spaetzlein._"

"_Tag._ How long was I asleep?"

"It's only been a few hours after morning. You haven't missed anything exciting, believe me, unless you count the poor young guard who asked for a tincture that might repel women."

"Was it the same guy who came in for performance enhancement?"

"Would you believe it if I said yes?"

"Give me a minute to wrap my mind around why he'd want both of those and I might." The Sparrow slid off his seat on the tabletop and made his way slowly toward the front of the shop as Maria began to feed her little one. Lex took a seat, glancing over curiously for a moment before looking away, a light flush on his face. The woman chuckled.

"You're still not used to this?"

"Call it my homeland's sensibilities."

"Women do not feed their infants in your homeland?"

"They actually get into fights about how they're supposed to feed their infants, actually." The two looked at each other and laughed.

"Oh, yes, I can see that. Arguing over which breast is better for the little ones to suck from, like arguing over which side of the egg one is supposed to crack."

"Pretty much." Lex looked up as Nico entered the room, smiling at her wife and opening the front window of the shop. The disguised woman nodded to the Sparrow, who nodded in return. After the shock of the first sighting and a good few smacks upside the head from Maria with a small towel for not understand a locked door's purpose when he saw one, Lex had gotten slowly used to the idea that Nico wasn't exactly an exclusively male name.

The regulars flooded the street in front of the building along with the people they'd dragged with them to beat the early morning rush hour that would come after the attending of Mass. _Some things never change,_ Lex thought, mind turning back to a time in the future when he had happened to enter a Wal-mart on a Sunday afternoon. He never had managed to get hold of that coffee can he wanted.

"Cheep, cheep, cheep!" came from the crowd as Amir hopped through the front window with loaf of bread under his arm.

"Does this one have olives in it too?" Lex muttered.

"No, this one has garlic." The Coal Tit grinned and hugged his brother tightly, nuzzling into his neck. "Are you better now, _ahki_?"

"Three more months, _Amiri_."

"Oh...Well, are you better noooow, _ahki_?" The impish grin made the time traveler groan and roll his eyes.

"Where's Desmond? I thought he was coming by today." The two moved to the stairs as Nico went to the window to deal with the customers, Maria sitting at the table behind him. The Sparrow went over and began to grind the herbs for the order as he saw the woman getting up to do so. Flashing him a smile, she returned to her babe.

"He's around back."

"Oh, I didn't know he had a date with Ms. Haysley."

"One must never keep a haystack waiting." Amir puffed up his chest.

"Yes, or else the rot will be at it," Nico called over her shoulder. The Spaniard looked up as someone called in the crowd, "Make way for Juan Borgia da Roma!" A man stepped up to the window clad in a black tunic, the hilt of a rapier just peeking over the edge of the window. He was tall, rather pale skinned for someone who was supposed to be a commander of an army, but then again, the Assassins reminded themselves, he was a noble. His close-cropped brown hair was met by a high forehead that nearly overshadowed thin, almost penciled-on eyebrows and squinting dark eyes, matched only by his hawkish nose.

"Signore Borgia," Nico greeted stiffly.

"_Messere farmacista,_" the man responded. "I trust your pretty wife is still as beautiful as in these images?" He pressed a sheet of parchment to the window. The Assassins didn't catch a glimpse of it before the apothecary had picked it up and crumpled it in her fist. "Perhaps your little wife could pose for me as well in private? I've been told I'm quite the artist."

"_Cuando cerdos vuelven de mi culo, mierda pequeña del Papa._"

"Aha, now, now, no need for such language, _messere_." The man leaned forward and lowered his voice. "Although, now that you've insulted my father, I may have to do something to you for it."

"Have you ever been to a comic convention?" The two looked up as Lex stood and asked again, "Have you ever been to a comic convention? No? Well, there is one rule everyone knows by heart, a certain unwritten number one. Never piss off the fans." The Sparrow strode forward. "You see, fans are a very dangerous thing, _signore_. They're like tinder soaked in oil and coated in gunpowder. One spark and poof." He hopped out the window Amir had come through, forcing the man to step back. "Explosion. Fire. Pain. Lots of it. Usually the loss of a limb or two. Sometimes the loss of life. Really quite distressing."

"You have a Turk now to do the fighting for you?" Juan hissed, though with each word he lost ground.

"Oho, Nico'd gladly kick your ass himself, I'm sure, and I'm only a guest, but I'll gladly kick your smart ass for free." Lex cracked his knuckles and grinned, pointing at Juan. "I hereby challenge you to a children's card game!" The man stared at him. Lex looked off to one side before saying, "Wait, that's the wrong show." He looked back at Juan. "I challenge you to a duel. That's what I meant to say. A duel then!"

"A duel. Fine. We'll settle this the way our ancestors have always done—"

"You're going to exploit me economically? Or do you mean our religious ancestors? I don't think Spain even knows about Turkey until—"

"In a week's time!" The man turned and strode off.

"My God, Brother, that was stupid," was all that came from inside the shop, unmistakably from Amir.

The crowd dispersed as Lex returned to the apothecary, whereupon he was promptly slammed against the wall by Nico.

"Have you lost your Goddamned mind?" The Spaniard shook him. "What the hell was that?"

"Inviting that guy to have his face smashed?"

"Fool! Do you even know how to fight in a duel?"

"Nope. But I figure I know the rules pretty well."

"Oh, do you? And what are they?"

Lex drew his sword, forcing Nico to back away as he gestured to the tip. "Pointy end goes into the other man." He sheathed the sword once more and pocketed his hands, looking at the apothecary.

"_Madre de dios..._" The woman pressed her hands to her face, the crumpled parchment still in one of them. Sighing, she lifted her head. "Fine. Fine. I'll teach you how to fight with one of those." The Sparrow gave her a mock glare, pursing his lips, to which she responded, "_Tonto_, you're holding it wrong."

"Where's Kemosabe then if I'm Tonto?" The room was silent for a good several minutes. Amir was the one to break it, asking, "What did the man give you?" The Spaniard sighed before spreading the parchment on the table, smoothing it out as well as she could.

On it was a sketch of Maria, done in coal. She was nude, strapped to a waterwheel, the Metal Lion fondling one of her breasts, what looked to be a brand in his free hand. The Assassins looked at one another, then Maria. The woman looked away before muttering, "I never wished to remember that time."

"Neither of us did, _amor_," Nico responded. The Assassins continued to look between their hosts. Maria lowered Nadya from her breast and straightened her blouse before lifting up her dress's skirts. On her hip was a black mark, the same head as on the brand. She lowered her skirts again and sighed, taking a long breath as Nico put her arms around her neck from behind, nuzzling into her hair.

"We were captured by the Lion's men," whispered the German woman. "In Florence, which had been our home before Venice. A short time after Giovanni Auditore and his sons' execution. The Lion wanted information on the Assassins. We would not do that."

"He tortured us," Nico whispered, staring at the floor. A dark chuckle escaped her lips. "They discovered I was a woman quickly enough as well. Had their fun with us." She glanced at the two. "Never wondered about my leg? One of the bastards broke it in two places, one of those men of his. Cubs, don't you call them?" She shook. "_Lo siento, amor. Si yo hubiera sido más fuerte—_"

"Shhh."

"_Pero—_" Maria pressed a finger to the trembling woman's lips, taking her by the shoulders and lowering her down to her lap where she held her in her arms. The time traveler glanced at his little brother, feeling they were intruding on some private moment as the apothecary laid her head on her wife's breast and let out a sob and said in thickly accented German, "_Ich haette dich beschuetzt. Ich haette dich beschuetzt, Maria. Tut mir leid. Tut mir leid von—von ganzem Herzen._" She fell back into Spanish. "_Si—_" Maria took her face between her hands and shook her once, enough to jar the babbling to a halt.

"_Genug. Genug, mein kleiner Ehemann._" Italian returned to the conversation. "You protected me as well as you could and what did that earn you? A permanent limp and a beating. You were barely conscious. There was nothing else you could have done. It was my turn to protect you." A hand smoothed back the Spaniard's dark hair from her sweat-soaked brow. "And anyway, the Lion gave us an unexpected gift in return for his pains on us, didn't he?" A slow nod, a rapid up and down motion, twice. "Yes, Nadya is ours thanks to that thing that calls itself a large cat." The two jumped at being addressed directly by the healer woman.

For a moment, both weren't sure if she was glaring at them or not, the fierce savagery of the look on her face making their knees turn to water with a little jelly floating on top that used to be their muscles.

"The cat in the tin can and our past with him notwithstanding, you still managed to piss off Juan Borgia today," said Nico, having regained control of yourself. She stood. "Let's get started." She looked down as Amir put his arms around her waist, head against her chest.

"Mama Nico can have the day off. Mama Maria needs hugs," said the boy, stepping back. "I can teach my brother for a few hours today before you take it up again." The woman smiled.

"_Grazie, uccellino._" The woman took her wife's hand between her own, looking toward the baby that rested in her basket. Nadya smiled and looked around at the assembled people, who were now looking at her in some form or fashion. She reached out toward Lex and Amir. The Coal Tit let her grasp one of her fingers in a chubby fist. Lex, as he watched, imagined the little face beneath the Lion's mask. He couldn't. That thing beneath the mask couldn't father such a baby that would happily tug on his hair and hugs his face, could it?

_Well, that's the question, isn't it? Nature versus nurture. What effect our environment has on what genes, what's turned on and what's turned off... She's just a baby now. I don't know what she'll be like in a few years' time._ He reached out slowly, placing his hand against her cheek, rubbing her soft head with his thumb.

"If I ever have a baby, I hope they're like you and likes hugging faces," he murmured, blinking as he found tears prickling at his eyes.

"Brother, you're a boy. You can't have babies." The Coal Tit grasped his hand and led him toward the back of the building.

"You know what I mean, my prince. You yourself were adopted several times now. Or at least adopted yourself some parents."

"I never thought you to want children yourself, _ahk_. Are you going to adopt me next?"

"With you calling me brother, that'd be weird. Like that TV trope: promoted to parents or something. Wait, are you jealous of Nadya or why do you sound so pissed off?"

"Yes. Why don't you pet me like that?" A grunt was heard as Amir kicked his way to through the haystack behind the backdoor, Desmond glowering at him before going back to sleep.

"Why don't you hug my face like that?" Lex countered, only to fall back against the narrow alleyway's nearest wall as Amir leaped up and clung to him, his arms around his head, legs hooked around his torso, locked against his back. The Coal Tit bent his head and kissed the Sparrow's dark hair, making a face as he smelled the grease in it. "Amir, you're heavy," was the muffled noise against his belly.

"That's why I don't do this often." Another muttered response, so low he could barely make it out. When he'd deciphered the words as well as he could, he looked at the dark head of hair again and stated, "I could always do that, you know. I was an acrobat once. It's not that hard to get my hips up to your face and move them back and forth." A heavy sigh sounded against his stomach, so that even Desmond looked up at it. "I'm joking, Brother. I'd never do that to you without you wanting it." He wasn't certain, but he thought he felt something wet against his shirt.

Sliding down, he looked at the teary-eyed Sparrow, legs now around his waist, arms about his neck. Lex looked back at him, dull eyed but for the tears standing in them, a shuddering breath released from his mouth. Amir pressed his lips to his brow gently before settling his forehead against where his lips had been, wiping his eyes with equal care with his sleeve.

"Come." He dropped to the ground, twining their fingers together. "Let's get to the roof to train. It'll make you feel better." Lex looked at him, his dubiousness at that statement smeared across his face as if by one of Leonardo's brushstrokes. "You will. You will feel better. Even the climb will do some good."

"My arms don't want to go up right now." Amir frowned, giving a little cheep. He gnawed his lip for a moment—Lex wondered where he'd picked that habit up from, not feeling his own teeth on his lip—before gathering his arms around his neck and telling him to hang on. Lex sighed and settled his head into the back of the Coal Tit's neck, eyes gazing listlessly at the black hair, the white streak brushing his nose as his legs came up around his little brother's body, the two moving up to the roof.

X x X

Jameel returned on the fourth before the duel's appointed time and spent most of it watching the Coal Tit and apothecary teach the Sparrow. He joined in the teaching after a bit of goading, leading the Sparrow around the rooftop until he cornered. Lex looked at the corner his heels stood on either side of and thought only, _Oh, for the love of God, you've gotta be kidding me._

"Check." The Sparrow jerked his head up, the Red Owl's arm around his shoulders. "I believe I've won our little physical chess game." Jameel relaxed as Lex's arms reached up, settling at his neck. He blinked as he felt the thin head of a throwing knife against his throat, the cold metal sending goosebumps along his skin as it rested above the pulsing vein there.

"Checkmate."

"Sly little bird." The man pressed the flat of his hidden blade against the back of the smaller man's neck, fingers combing through his hair. "But I left myself open, didn't I?"

"Guess I did too."

"I've got the height on you, _habibi_."

"And all I need to do is twitch my fingers, so what's it going to be? Do you yield or not?" Brows raised at the sharpness of his tone before Jameel stepped back, bowing his head. Lex sheathed his sword and throwing knife, walking back into the shop. Jameel followed, catching up to him and taking a hold of his shoulders. The younger man whirled about, fear stamped on his face as he slapped the taller man's hand away. The Red Owl flinched, stung. The two stared at each other. Lex looked away first, running a hand through his hair and sighing, biting his lip. A calloused thumb brushed his lower lip, freeing it from beneath his teeth as Jameel knelt to his level.

The Sparrow looked into the familiar blue eyes, the eyes that questioned him silently, the taller man's features describing his worry better than words could. Asking a silent, "What's wrong?" He sighed and shook his head, answering the question with his own wordless, "Nothing." He drew away from his lover's arms and went to the small room off the back room where he had been operated on, a little bedroom for recuperating patients that had become his guest room of sorts.

There he curled up on the bed, staring into space until he felt a weight on the opposite end of the bed near his legs.

"Ja—" he began, then stopped. It was Nadya. The little girl smiled her babyish smile and giggled, crawling over the covers to him. "Hi, Nadya." He turned onto his back as the baby made her way to him and tried to climb onto his side, holding her steady with his hands. She looked at him before crawling onto his chest and lying on her belly, grasping his nose, then his cheek. A smile crept onto his face as his cheek was tugged, if only to help pull his skin out of her fist.

Proud of herself, or so she looked, Nadya yawned and settled down to sleep on him. Lex leaned his head back onto the straw-filled pillow, wincing as a stray piece poked through the fabric and into his scalp, and shut his eyes for a little sleep.

Several hours later, Lex floundered upon the bed until he was able to bolt upright, sucking in a sharp breath. Cold sweat clutched the sheets tight to his body. He looked around, panic rising at the unfamiliarity of the room. He then remembered where he was and hung his head, breathing hard. He blinked a few times, a measure of confusion mixing in with the fear.

Why was he under the covers? Where was Nadya? Why was there an arm around him? Who'd turned out the lights?

The Sparrow found several of the answers once his eyes had adjusted to the dimness of the room, though this came with the sudden onset of a splitting migraine. He looked toward the window. Night. He looked down. Jameel's arm rested across his middle, his other arm pinned beneath his body so that Lex wondered if he shouldn't move it for the man, who might find it asleep in the morning, head resting beside where his had been on the pillow.

"Alessio?" Lex looked up at the soft voice, eyes screaming in pain as he looked at Maria with her candle. He covered his eyes, curling up. "I heard you scream. Do your eyes hurt?" She blew out the candle and took his arm. Lex slipped from beneath Jameel's arm and stood with the apothecary wife's help, rubbing his eyes until they cleared. Blinking a few times, he let himself be led to the table and sat down. "Open your eyes. Let me look at them."

Dragging them open for her to examine, the woman gasped and leaned back slightly.

"What? What's wrong with them? Did I burst a blood vessel or something?" He leaned his head down and covered his eyes once more, rubbing his temples with thumb and forefinger. "Ahhh...Goddammit, where's the Vi-sine for excruciating migraines nestled behind your eyeballs? Got an Excedrin? Tylenol? Aspirin? Willow bark?"

The Sparrow whimpered as his head was lifted, his eyes opened once more by gingerly prying hands. The woman looked at the glowing, golden rises of the young man's eyes with a mixture of fear and astonishment. "Anything, Maria?" he whispered. "It hurts... My God, it hurts..."

The woman nodded and went to the nearest shelf, taking down some of the powder and setting some water to boil as the Sparrow returned his head to his arms, leaning on the table. A hand ran over his head as they waited, rubbing soothing circles against his temples and down his neck and shoulders.

"What were you screaming for, _Spaetzlein_?"

"A nightmare."

"Is it the sort of nightmare I'm thinking of?" No response. Maria leaned down, kissing his cheek. The Sparrow gazed at the grains of wood in the table to keep his mind blank, an attempt to ease the pain. Maybe if he kept his mind blank, if he didn't think, he wouldn't hurt so much. "Alessio...," she paused, then continued, "have you told anyone?" Lex stiffened. Maria rubbed his cheek gently. The woman stood and left the table, returning with a mug of hot brew. The Sparrow downed it in silence, burning his tongue in the process to be able to lay his head down again. "We have each other, little one. My little wife and I. This is one of the ways I have found to cope with what happened with us. We give each other strength. It was a while longer, believe me, before I could even think of being touched again. Much less before I found pleasure in it. And if you feel you cannot tell your man yet, perhaps you might tell a friend whom you trust deeply. Your haystack loving comrade, or your younger brother."

The young man's silence persisted until, "Maria? Can I have a hug?" The woman smiled softly and nodded as he lifted his head, resting it upon her chest as she drew him into her arms. His headache faded as sleep claimed him once more, eyes returning to their normal hue.

X x X

Jameel awoke to the pattering of rain against the shutters. He looked over at the Sparrow. Lex lay on his back, head tilted against his shoulder. The Red Owl leaned over and kissed his forehead before sitting up. Standing, he stripped off his robes and went to a small basin left in the room, giving himself a quick wash before returning his clothes to his body. A little cleaner, he leaned against the wall and watched the sleeper for a moment. Bending down, he kissed his lips before moving out silently into the rain, shutting the window behind him to make his rounds.

As he moved through the rain, he stopped and pressed his back to the nearest wall, rain droplets falling from the beak of his hood. The Red Owl had a bad feeling growing inside. Perhaps it was the niggling sense of paranoia kicking it, but he felt something sinister lurked on the rooftops around him. Whether intuition, hunch, or something more, he crouched lower and made his way to a chimney stack, back to one of the canals. He saw it then, a pair of shadows darting through the rain as if flying. When they stilled, he frowned, making out the shapes of a pair of vultures of all things. Vultures in Venice?

_Could it be them?_

Tracking the shapes, he focused, felt the burning in his eyes. The cityscape lightened slightly, the rain still a thick screen as he made his way over the wet tiles toward the shades.

Inshallah, _they won't prove hostile. I need to strike a bargain with them._

He finally caught up, nearly running into them as the shadows abruptly turned, a set of daggers pointed at his throat. For a moment, the only sound was the rain around them. He was glad of it, for it drowned out the gulp he made that was surely audible otherwise. They had turned so quickly their clothing lagged behind them, finally catching up with a wet slap against their bodies. They wore masks, similar to the Ravenwatch archers, but not crow-shaped. The beaks were less prominent, and no feathers adorned their heads. They truly looked like vultures.

"_Pr-Privet,_" he whispered in halting Russian, beginning his attempt to converse with them, though the rain hindered him somewhat. The Vultures held up their hands, both the right, their cloaks dangling from them like sopping feathers on a wet wing.

"So you wish to hire us, hm?" said the one on the left.

"How much are you paying?" asked the one on the right.

Jameel was frozen, unable to decide which of the identical pair to answer first. He had heard that these twins had the ability to read each other's minds. Maybe it was true. _Nonsense,_ he snapped at himself. _They may have trained together to be able to mimic mind reading. A trick, that's all... It's only a trick._ He steeled his rattled nerves and took a risk, stood to his full height.

"I will pay everything I have." The one on the right cocked his head and circled Jameel, eyeing him from every angle before coming back to his starting point. He put his dagger away, as did his brother.

"I see. You're a part of _that_ Order. Forget the fee. We will offer our services for free."

"You must be the Crimson Owl we heard rumors of in Moscow," said the other, adding almost giddily in a half-echo of his brother, "Forget the payment! When do we start?"

"As soon as possible." He described the targets and the mission he wished to accomplish once more. When he finished, the two said in one voice, "Will do." Both of them darted down the rooftop and disappeared over the edge.

_Well, that turned out better than I expected,_ Jameel thought, walking back to the apothecary. _I thought they were going to kill me in my sleep one day._ Descending to the street, he slipped back in through the window, a puddle quickly forming around his boots. He was soaked to the skin, but elated. He had struck a deal with two men who happened to be extremely good at the killing craft.

Jameel slipped off his boots and padded to the basin, wringing his clothing out into it.

"Still raining?" The Red Owl almost bashed his head on the ceiling at the Sparrow's words. Taking a moment to calm himself, he shed the rest of his clothing and wrung it out as well, spreading it on the floor to dry. His heart almost came to a dead stop again as he saw the dim glow coming from Lex's eyes. _How...? Is he cursed to live too long as well? Oh, little bird..._

"Sneaky Sparrow. I've taught you too well." The man climbed onto the bed, folding the smaller form in his arms and holding him to his chest, checking each word so that it betrayed none of the pain he felt. "You've frightened me twice in one sitting. You're getting better, Skandar."

"It's been a long time since anybody's called me that." Jameel opened his mouth, but Lex continued, "Nah, it's fine. I like it when you say it. Reminds me of the good old days. So, what were you doing? Taking a shower?"

"I was getting us some help. Mercenaries after a fashion. Mercenaries for our cause."

"Doesn't this make us like the Templars?"

"No. Ours are better, though I doubt you've heard of the Vulture Twins. They're the best hired mercenaries in Europe."

"Oh, what royals did they murder?" Lex turned so his back was to Jameel. The man frowned, sitting up. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"We should let the others know about our own hired help."

"I'm sure they'll appreciate your stunning vistas."

"I thought you would be happy about this. Do you know what stroke of luck this is? The more Assassins, the better, Skandar. Synchronized Assassins are a bonus. They're said to do everything in an orderly fashion, without hesitation. No wavering, no second thoughts. They have no mercy, even for people who happen to be in their way. This will put us on an even keel."

"Do not shed the blood of the innocent." The words hit him like a sucker punch to the face.

"What would you have me do then?" he growled, regretting it as he saw Lex flinch. Slowly, he turned to face him, sitting up and looking him in the face.

"Don't stoop to their level. I'm not above begging, borrowing, stealing, and damn near blackmailing for every scrap of help, information, or manpower we can get our hands on, but we can't abandon our Creed. We pickpocket, we eavesdrop, and we give the third degree if necessary, but we've got scruples. It's that thin line between vigilante and terrorist: you walk it and you do your damnedest not to fall off. Now can we talk about this later? It's, like, two in the fucking morning and this pillow sucks. I don't know how Desmond can stand to sleep in hay. So pokey..."

"Use me as your pillow if you want something softer. Otherwise, it's the straw or your robes." Lex bit his lip again, hard enough to draw a little blood, as he looked away. "It's your choice, Lex." Jameel laid down on his back, getting himself comfortable as he could with the heavy silence hanging between them. He looked down as the Sparrow placed an arm, fingers trembling, across his middle, head on his shoulder.

His quick breathing soon drifted into the even pace of sleep. He felt his own chest rise and fall with the time Lex set before his own eyes shut.

**Schatzile = little treasure**

**G'morsche = Good morning**

**Spaetzlein = little sparrow**

**Tag = Hi**

**Messere farmacista = Mr. Apothecary**

**Cuando cerdos vuelven de mi culo, mierda pequeña del Papa. ****= When pigs fly out of my ass, little shit of the Pope**

**Madre de dios… = Mother of God…**

**Tonto = Fool/Stupid**

**Amor = Love**

**Lo siento, amor. Si yo hubiera sido más fuerte— Pero— Ich haette dich beschuetzt. ****Ich haette dich beschuetzt, Maria. Tut mir leid. Tut mir leid von—von ganzem Herzen. Si— = I'm sorry, love. If I had been stronger— But— I should have protected you. I should have protected you, Maria. I'm sorry. I'm sorry with—with all my heart. If—**

**Genug. Genug, mein kleiner Ehemann. = Enough. Enough, my little husband.**

**Grazie, uccellino = Thanks, baby bird.**

**Inshallah = God willing/Hopefully**

**Thanks to Nessa for correcting my German once more. Tobi, if I flubbed my Spanish, feel free to let Abuelita Conchi beat me with a frying pan. The rest of you, thank you for being so very patient with me. You may now hurl your rotten veggies and shoes for my tardiness. No stones, please. As always, you keep reading and I'll keep writing (Muses willing).**


	15. Chapter XV

**AC and its characters belong to Ubisoft. You know who everyone and their mamas and papas belongs to otherwise by now, right, guys? :3**

**Thanks for the faves, follows, and the reviews, Tobi, Smeggi, and everybody else. :3**

Venice  
1487

"Cheep." Lex awoke to the soft sound and looked up at his brother. Amir sat on his chest, looking down at him with almost overlarge brown eyes. Were they wide with excitement or fear? He couldn't tell. It was too early to tell. Lips pecked his. "_Marhaba, ahki._"

"_Marhaba._"

"There's no L."

"Blame my American tongue."

"I would, but I like your tongue. Especially when it's in my mouth."

"Are you my little brother or my fuck buddy, Amir?"

"Both is fine with me."

"Why are you lying on top of me?"

"You're comfortable."

"Just don't get a hard on. This pillow pokes me enough as is."

"You don't like getting poked anymore?" He shook his head in answer, turning onto his back. Fine-fingered hands slithered under his shirt, massaged the muscle there. A half-choked whimper of "_La_" escaped him at the touch. The hands stilled for a moment before continuing. "You know I would never harm you, _ahki al-habib._"

"_Ahki al-habib?_"

"_Aywah. Ahki al-akhbar. Ahki al-habib._"

"_Shukran, Amiri._"

"You know today's the day, don't you?"

"I have to fight Prince Humperdinck?"

"Yes. Humiliations galore for him."

"Thanks for helping me practice my Italian."

"All I taught you was insults." The elder Assassin grinned over his shoulder at the younger, who had already prepared a grin to return. "Brother."

"Hmm?"

"Do you know why Jameel and I are here?"

"Am I allowed to guess that you're immortal?"

"Besides that fact."

"Are you a Time Lord?"

"Be serious."

"Yes, _Signore_ Doctor. So, are you a Time Lord?" Amir gave him a flat look. "Is that a no?"

"I'll take the nickname, but that's not why Jameel and I are in Italy. I mean, do you know why we aren't in Masyaf right now?"

"No. I never really thought about it until now. Why aren't we in Masyaf?" Amir's arms folded around his neck as the younger Assassin settled his head against his own.

"After you left, life returned to normal a little while. Years passed. Altair and Maria had two sons born to them, Darim and Sef. Baba Malik took a wife. Papa Gilbert and Mama Sarah expanded our family with a pair of twins and a little daughter." Lex smiled a little at this. Amir closed his hand over his brother's, twining their fingers. "Mama Altair went traveling to Constantinople to try to start the Assassin headquarters there, but was driven back by the French Crusaders. Then he, Maria, and Darim journeyed east to Mongolia to handle Genghis Khan."

"Genghis Khan? _The_ Genghis Khan?"

"Yes, him." Amir snorted. "Darim felled him with a single shot. Some king."

"It's Genghis friggin' Khan!"

"Yes, yes, enough about him. Back to what I was saying." Amir toyed with a strand of the Sparrow's hair. "They killed Khan and returned home, only to find Abbas had taken control of Masyaf along with a corrupt council of his followers. Baba had been imprisoned, accused of killing Sef. Mama believed the charges for a time."

"What the fuck?" He looked up at the Coal Tit incredulously. "No way."

"Yes, way." He pushed Lex's head down again. "That bastard Abbas—may Azrael erase his name from the Book of Life—sent his worm Swami in after Mama had rescued Baba. He cut off Baba's head and presented it like some macabre trophy to Abbas and Mama. Mama became angry...so angry that the worm stabbed himself to death..." His voice lowered. "But not before one of his swings went wide and cut Maria's throat. Mama fled, Papa fled, we all fled..."

"Where?"

"Darim and Mama and I to Egypt. Jameel went somewhere to the south. Mama Sarah and Papa went west to the coast." Silence reigned for a long time before Lex whispered, "Did you ever...?"

"Did we ever retrieve our home? Yes, for a time. Then the Mongol hordes crashed through the gates. I came here after." A sigh came heavily into his ear. "I am much older than a look, little brother."

"But you don't look a day over four hundred fifteen."

"I was older than eleven when I came to Masyaf."

"How old were you?"

"Thirty-one." Lex turned over and looked up at him, propped up on his elbows as Amir seated himself upon the saddle of his hips. "I touched the Piece of Eden when I was eleven-years-old. I awoke and saw nothing familiar, knew no one around me. Knew not even who I was. I journeyed for a long time, across much land for many years until I came to Jerusalem where Malik found me."

"So, you're fifteen now?"

"In body, yes. It's more...expedient. Still a child, easy to sneak by people without much trouble, but becoming an adult. Strong enough to do heavy work."

"That'd make you how old regularly? Like, thirty-five?"

"I suppose."

"Plus a few hundred years."

"That's four hundred thirty-five, little brother."

"Great, now we're just creepy in the reverse sense of things." The two looked at one another and laughed. "One of us is going to be pedobear, Amir! I don't think we can get around it!"

"I doubt it too. What fools we are trying to escape something created by 4chan."

"How d'you know about 4chan?"

"I have foresight, Brother, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. Well, better get up." Lex sighed and hummed a little tune. "Or else I'll be late for the fight."

"Yes, you will." Amir pulled him up to a sit on the edge of the bed and smoothed down his hair. "And stop humming that silly nyan cat song. It's too catchy. You're going to have it stuck in my head."

Lex silenced himself and straightened his clothing, heading out to the kitchen. He grabbed a piece of bread and dipped it in olive oil, a few herbs mixed in with the oil. He ate it quickly and looked toward his hosts. Maria and Nico were already prepared to leave, a sword strapped to Nico's hip, her wife's hands wrapped around her arm. Nadya had been deposited with Leonardo at his shop. The Sparrow still had trouble imagining baby-sitter added to the list of the polymath's many vocations.

The group started out to the meeting place, Amir moving along the roofs above them.

Juan Borgia awaited them when they arrived at the place for the duel, his second standing a little behind him to his right. Lex looked over at Nico, then shrugged his shoulders and strolled forward until he was almost nose to nose with Juan, forcing the now uncomfortable man to take a step back.

The Assassin looked at his opponent as the man gazed back at him.

"We fight with swords."

"Mm-hmm."

"If I win, I get the woman."

"And if I win, you get the fuck out of here. Out of Venice. Permanently. And you leave this couple alone."

"Fine. To the death."

"No. To the pain."

"The what?"

"To the pain. First I cut off your feet at the ankles, then your hands at the wrists, then your tongue, then your eyes—"

"Then my ears, yes, yes, I-"

"No! Oho, no, no, no. Nope. Your ears you keep. That way you can hear every shriek of 'Oh dear God, what is that thing?' whenever you pass anyone by. That's why we're going to the pain, Juanito. Either way, you're completely at my mercy. And by the end, I will have to ask you, am I not merciful?"

The captain of the papal guard stared at the grinning boy before him. Grinning, sneering almost, the little maniac having his arms spread as if to taunt him to strike. Saying, "Here I am! Here I am and I dare you to strike; you won't hit me!" Letting out a howl of fury, the man lunged forward. A quick spin and his opponent was away, out of his range.

He turned, flicked his blade. It was parried. The two parted and circled, the Borgia moving in again. His stabs were simply evaded with little hops from his opponent, the Assassin flicking his tongue out and in, lizard like, taunting. He swung wildly at his head. The Sparrow ducked and danced away, having the gall to sing out, "_Juanito, Juanito, non e possibile mi ha colpito!_"

"_Futtiti, cazzo!_" Blades locked, Juan flipping the sword from Lex's grasp and catching it in his own hand. The man gagged as a knee was slammed into his gut, the Assassin leaping up and ramming him with it, bearing him to the cobbles, a dagger pressed to his throat. No, not a dagger. He choked as his head was yanked back by what little hair he had, Adam's apple bobbing beneath the point of the hidden blade that had appeared from beneath the smaller man's sleeve.

"Release the blades." He let them go. They were quickly gathered up by the apothecary. "You will live and keep your limbs. Am I not merciful, _merdaio piccolo mio_?" Lex smiled and stood, only to sink back to the ground. He blinked as an arm halted his fall, Amir lifting him up to his feet again, his arm around his brother's neck.

Juan stood and backed up toward his second, glaring at them.

"You will all pay for this, _stronzi_. All of you. Even that little babe." Threat spoken, he was gone, retreating into the streets of the Serene Republic before Amir could stick a needle into him.

_Oh, well,_ thought the white-and-black haired immortal, leading the others back toward the medicine shop, a gleeful, chilly smile on his lips. _His brother the bishop will kill him soon anyway._

X x X

"You fought Juan Borgia. You could've killed Juan Borgia. And yet you let him live." Desmond looked at Lex with a baleful eye. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"That putz didn't deserve to die half as much as some other people I could mention," Lex muttered, gazing back at him. Amir looked at Desmond as the man opened his mouth again. Jameel held up a hand.

"_Bas._ The deed is done." The Red Owl looked at the bartender. "He let his opponent live. Mercy is not something we can normally afford, but it is beneficial at times. His death would have only brought more trouble upon us than simply shaming him in a private duel and letting him keep his wretched life." His eyes flicked to Lex. "However, you have drawn attention to yourself. One cannot simply issue a public challenge the captain of the Papal guard—one of the Pope's sons—and go unnoticed by certain people we do not want to be noticed by."

The Sparrow sighed, running his hand through his hair and pressing it over his eyes. His face was still lacking too much color for Jameel's liking.

"Ezio." The Italian looked up from his seat at the table where he had been listening in silence. "Your thoughts?"

"What can I say that you haven't, Red Owl?" He looked toward the other Assassins and their allies. "Other than your statements, I think perhaps I might offer you a sort of sanctuary. Do you know the village of Monteriggioni near Firenze?"

"I know it," said Amir. Nico nodded, as did Maria, though Desmond and Lex shook their heads.

"It's some weeks' journey, first to the port of Romagna, then a ride through the mountains to Firenze, then to Monteriggioni."

"My family keeps a villa there. My mother, uncle, and sister live there now thanks to the Templars who murdered my father and brothers. Go there. You'll be safe enough with walls around you and a town of allies to guard your back."

"_Grazie, amico._" Maria pressed Ezio's hands between hers.

"I stay." They looked up at Jameel. The tall Assassin repeated, "I stay. We cannot all leave at once and cannot journey in the same ship. This is too dangerous."

Lex stood up from his seat and moved toward the man. Jameel stopped him, a hand lightly on his shoulder, the other pressing a finger to his lips. "Listen." Lex looked away. Strong fingers grasped his chin, lifting it, turning his head so their eyes met. He shuddered until another hand pressed to his cheek, the one hand moving to the other side of his face. Soft Arabic came from his mouth then. "Listen to me, little bird. You cannot stay. I cannot go. The Ravens will follow me as surely as their maniac employer. He and his must be dealt with before I might join you." The man sighed and pressed his face into his hair, kissing his brow and head.

"You shouldn't be here alone. Those guys you found are mercs, aren't they?"

"Yes, they are. Money is their tongue and I speak it well. You expect all our allies now to swear their oaths in blood?"

"No, but those guys you hired..." His words died, a frown fixed on his face as he simply looked at the taller Assassin. "Jameel, I don't trust them as far as Desmond could kick them out of his bar into traffic."

"I'm to assume Desmond has a poor kick then?" The joke fell flat in the air, the others having vacated the room to give them some privacy, the shop closed down still for the day. Lips met his softly. "_'Usfuri._"

"Hmmmph..." A low whine came from the smaller man as Jameel's lips met his again, hands sweeping through his hair, clasping his back.

"_Habibi, ya ghabein._" Another kiss, deeper. He pulled away, breathing heavily. "_Lexi, inte omri._" His fists curled into Jameel's robes as the kiss pressed deeper still, the tip of his tongue pressing his lips.

"_Bas._" Lex pulled back, swallowing thickly.

Jameel leaned in again, brushing his lips as he whispered, "_Hayati..._"

"_Bas,_" the Sparrow groaned. "_Aywah. Aywah._ Okay. Okay, I quit. I give. Enough already. You win." He sighed. "You're the winner, okay? You win. You can stay."

Jameel looked at him before finding a seat and pulling him onto his lap. No resistance was given, the time traveler laying his head against his breast, the steady thud-thudding of the taller Assassin's heart sounding against his ear. Lex continued to listen for a few minutes to the noise. Just when the noise rested on the brink of being all encompassing, he spoke almost inaudibly, "_Inte albii, Jam._" He could've sworn then that he heard the Red Owl's heart skip a beat.

Lifting his eyes, he looked up at the man who'd drawn nearer, their lips brushing again, his fists curled into his hair, the back of his robes. He opened his mouth, only to draw back sharply from the man's tongue, panting, eyes wide and tear-studded. Jameel steadied his breathing, sighing as he saw the wetness once again built up in his lover's eyes.

"_Ya Allah..._" The irritated groan was out of his mouth before he could stop it. Lex lowered his head, his eyes finding an interesting spot on the floor again. The Owl sighed and rubbed his back lightly.

"_Hal ohdonnee?_" Jameel glanced up at the soft question. Lex peered up at him from beneath his bangs. "_Hal ohdonnee?_" He nodded slowly and pulled the Sparrow into a close, tight hug, smiling softly into his hair.

X x X

The Vulture Twins perched atop the roof as the Red Owl and his hooded companions stepped out of the little shop. Reaching over, he ruffled Amir's hair. The younger boy gave a cheep and hugged him. Taking one of Lex's hands between his own, he kissed his fingers lightly.

"Be safe, both of you."

"We'll try not to be sea sick, Uncle," said the Coal Tit as he tugged his brother's arm. "_Ahk, yallah._" The Sparrow nodded, looking up at Jameel before turning and following after Amir. The Red Owl scaled the building to stand before the Russians.

"Let's go."

The trio set off across the roofs, the sun beginning to dip down toward the horizon.

X x X

The Rhino lifted his head as a tile fell from the roofs and crashed to the cobbles near his feet, planting the butt of his halberd against the mud and stones and looking at the broken piece of roofing. He glanced toward his men, surveying the roofs in first one direction, then the other.

Lifting his weapon, he stepped forward. Two shadows flew out from the rooftops. The Steel Rhino flung himself forward, skidding to a halt as screams sounded. The last of his men received a jagged slash to his throat, spilling his blood onto his once pristine armor. He collapsed as the rest had into a heap on the ground.

Karna swung his halberd as a white streak caught the corner of his eye. Jameel leaped over the weapon, coming down inside the Rhino's guard and jabbing toward the visor of his helm with his dagger. Karna moved back further, trying to back enough to be able to stab at the Master Assassin. Twin blades snicked into the joint creases of his armor, piercing the small of his back, hamstringing him. The Red Owl moved forward, driving his blade home until his palm nestled against the Templar's helm.

X x X

Nico looked up as Desmond said, "_Va bene. Andiamo._" The Assassin moved ahead of her, followed by Maria. As the apothecary made to follow, she stopped. A man was standing near the entrance to the alleyway across from the shop. He was dressed in a black vest, white shirt, and brown breeches, brown boots adorning his feet, black hair topping his head, a little stubble adorning his jaw and chin, a mustache his upper lip.

"_Signore, è tardi. Cosa ci fai qui?_" The man raised his head and smiled.

"_Sto aspettando mio fratello._" The man gestured toward the streets leading to the small square. "_E qui egli è ora._" A younger man trotted toward him, only in a loose blue tunic, brown breeches and boots. His hair was only a little longer, but enough to stick everywhichway as it was ruffled by the elder of the two brothers. "_Taal, ahk._" For a moment, the younger man seemed afraid. The elder bent his head, kissing his brow. "_Alaqwhoakbar, sagheer._" The two clasped hands and moved into the alleyway, disappearing into the shadows.

"_Ehemann, was ist los?_" Nico looked up at Maria's words, hurrying over to the two. "_Was hast du gesehen?_" she asked as they moved along in the Eaglet Assassin's shadow.

"_Nada. Sólo los fantasmas._" The apothecary looked back over her shoulder for a moment toward their second home before they turned the corner toward the ship awaiting them at the docks. _Sí. Sólo un par de fantasmas._

X x X

"I must thank you for your services," Jameel said once the body had been disposed of. The Vulture Twins raised their heads in one movement and fixed their eyes upon him. "If I can't give you the florins I have with me, what can I give you in exchange?"

"We told you, our services are for free for you," said the men in one voice. "But you might do us a favor."

Jameel tilted his head and moved toward them. "What is it?"

Pain lanced through the back of his head as something hard crashed against it. He landed heavily on the ground, groaning and turning over. The Lion's roaring maw and beady eyes stared down at him.

"You can come with me," said the Templar. The heavy haft of the axe slammed down onto his gut, his world blackening as the air was driven from him.

**Marhaba = Hello**

**Juanito, Juanito, non e possibile mi ha colpito! ****= Little Juan, little Juan, you can't hit me!**

**Futtiti, cazzo = Fuck you, prick!**

**Merdaio piccolo mio = My little shit-hole**

**Stronzi = assholes**

'**Usfuri. Habibi, ya ghabein. ****Lexi, inte omri. = My Sparrow. My beloved, you're the light of my eyes. My Lex, you're my life.**

***Omri = My life and my love in one, stronger than hayati.**

**Hayati = My life**

**Inte albii, Jam. = You're my heart, Jam.**

**Hal ohdonnee? = Can we cuddle?**

**Va bene. Andiamo. = Okay. Let's go.**

**Signore, è tardi. Cosa ci fai qui? = Sir, it's late. What are you doing here?**

**Sto aspettando mio fratello. E qui egli è ora. Taal, ahk. Alaqwhoakbar, sagheer. = I'm waiting for my brother. And here he is now. Come, brother. Time to go, little one.**

**Ehemann, was ist los? ****Was hast du gesehen? = Husband, what's wrong? What did you see?**

**Nada. Sólo los fantasmas. Sí. Sólo un par de fantasmas. ****= Nothing. Just ghosts. Yeah. Just a pair of ghosts.**

**Finally on summer vacation, what little I have left of it. A real vacation. And Renaissance of the Creed is winding down. You guys keep reading, I'll keep writing. **


	16. Chapter XVI

**Okay, first off, I've submitted to peer pressure and gotten a tumblr. Name on there is fyreeprince and I have set up an ask thing—called Ask The Birds' Nest Anything—where you can ask your favorite characters from my stories anything you want. :3 You will get your question answered with an attached drawing by the Wednesday of the week you ask it (so do it anytime before Wednesday! XD)**

**Thanks to Smeggi and Tobi for their reviews and thanks to CupNoodleSoup for the favorite. :3**

Romagna, Italy  
1487

"Who did you see?" Nico looked up from listening to the calls of the sailors on the deck above toward her wife. It had been nearly a week since they'd set sail from the Serene Republic to the boggy little port village and now they were coming in to land. "Who did you see back in Venice?"

"The Elephant. He wore no armor, but his voice was the same. He waited for his brother, for the Rhino. He was a young man. The Elephant an older man."

"It was not the Lion?"

"No. The Elephant only ever met the Rhino in front of our shop. They always met there in front of that little alley. You know it now?"

"Ah. Yes, yes, I do." Maria sighed and held Nadya to her chest. "We should move to the deck above."

"We should. You think Desmond has is sea legs by now?" The Spaniard moved after her wife, keeping a hand on the small of her back to steady her as they moved into the relatively fresher air on the top deck.

"Lex," came the groan that answered them, "Lex, I want my Haysley back."

"You get Haysley when I get Jammy. Deal?"

"Deal. Ugh." Desmond looked toward the apothecary. "Give me some Dramamine."

"I'll give you dry land, if that's what you want, haystack boy." Nico pointed toward the docks and a distant speck of gold. Desmond flung himself off the boat and into the water, swimming to land and running pell-mell across the puddles and squishy ground to the hay by the church's paddock.

"He has a hay fetish, I swear to God," Lex mumbled as Amir helped him stand. The Coal Tit rubbed his brother's back as he helped him down the gangplank to the docks.

"We know, _ahk_." Maria looked back at the two with her husband. The apothecaries and the young man had kept a close watch on their patient, who still needed time to recover from his wound. The sea voyage had left him paler than he'd been even after the fight with Juan.

"Do you think Luca will be all right without us?" Maria lifted a brow at her husband. "He won't anger the guards?"

"He's growing up." She smiled. "He doesn't need us to take that much care of him, Nico. Besides, much as he stayed at our house and ate our food, he's not ours."

"I know, I know," the Spaniard rolled her eyes and moved toward where Desmond had gone to see about getting the little party some horses. Passing Lex into Maria's care, Amir took off at a run to head off the woman.

"Cheepcheepcheepcheepcheep!" He grabbed the other's belt. "I know where the best horses are and for free!"

"Well, then, little one, lead the way." The Coal Tit ran toward another group of horses, their faces bearing shallow deeps in the front. Grasping the reins of several of them the stable boys, he led them over.

Nico sighed as Maria made her way over to them with Lex, her face growing paler with each step. How could she forget about that?

"Love, they're not going to bite," she said gently as Desmond poked his head out from the hay and grumbled his way to his mount. The Sparrow looked at the two healers as Amir took Nadya into his arms and bundled her into a swaddled backpack. The little girl looked at her mothers and then at the Sparrow and Eaglet, smiling widely and giggling.

"I don't want to go on them. I don't want to go near them," whispered Maria. "I can walk to Monteriggioni."

"_Bismillah yjibek ya tult-il-bal,_" the younger woman moaned, leaning her head on the nearest horse. "_Por favor_, Maria, get—on—the horse!" The woman stared at her wife before clambering onto the animal's back and gripping Nico so hard around the middle the men wondered if the poor apothecary could breathe.

Mounted up, Amir took a moment to scratch a note onto a small piece of parchment and whistle. A coal tit fluttered down from one of the roofs nearby, allowed the note to be attached, and flew off. The Coal Tit looked after his bird for a moment before trotting to rejoin the others.

X x X

The mountain ride provided enough of a distraction for the riders as they would have, each lost in his or her own thoughts, having passed the last village they would see for a time some miles back.

Desmond looked over at the others. Maria was all but asleep against Nico's back. Nadya was asleep in her little swaddle-bag on Amir's. Lex looked ahead down the track; the Eagle wasn't sure what was going through his head, though he guessed it was something to do with Jameel. His own mind had begun to scheme how to, once more, get them home.

_And when I get home this time, I'm staying there!_

As if to break the monotony of the trek, Lex suddenly suggested, "Anybody wanna ride ahead?" Surprisingly, Desmond found himself nodding and saying, "Yeah, let's do that."

The pair sped their horses to a lope, descending down a slope and halting the sharply as they came to a wooden-bridge-spanned chasm. On the other side of the long bridge were two riders, one with his face veiled with black cloth, the other an unfamiliar man. The dogs wagged their tails briefly but stayed where they were.

"Who are you?" asked the man beside the veiled one, long black hair matched only by his equally dark moustache. A coal tit rested on his shoulder. "Are you the ones this missive reached Monteriggioni about? Where is my nephew?"

"Ezio said he would come in another boat," Desmond called back. "Who the hell are you? His Uncle Mario?"

"Yes," said the man.

"Do you have a brother named Luigi?" piped up Lex. Mario and the veiled man looked at one another at this and conversed for a moment before Mario said, "We will meet in the middle of the bridge and see who you are then."

"The man with you too," added the barkeep as they moved forward. The four men stopped near the center of the bridge and dismounted, walking to the center and looking at one another.

Mario wore a hooded cloak, one brown and one blind eye staring at them with utmost scrutiny. Beside him, the veiled man halted, dogs on either side, a hidden blade on his right arm, ring finger missing on a dark hand. Lex stared at the hand, the missing finger.

"Safety and peace be upon you, brothers," said the man, his Italian spoken with an accent thick like Jameel's. Lex jerked his head up. Desmond glanced at him as he opened his mouth and spoke in Arabic. Mario looked as well, frowning.

"You too, _ahk al-akhbar_?"

"Who asks?" responded the veiled man.

"A young man I think you might know, as I think you are an older man I think I might know," said the Sparrow. "Before I left for home a long time ago, you told me that if I ever had need of your sword or your tongue, you'd come help me."

"My tongue has not grown dull. My blade is likewise still sharp, my little brother." The man stepped forward, arms out. He touched Lex's shoulders tentatively, as if searching for them, before drawing him to his chest. Lex flung his arms around the man's waist, nuzzling into his belly. "You're alive. Amir said you were injured."

"I'm still convalescing, technically. Just needed a change of venue from that swamp city they call serene." Badr threw back his head and laughed then, more heartily than Lex had heard before.

"_Skandar, mashallah!_ It is you!" His hair was ruffled up into feathery tufts.

"Badr!" Lex grinned, laughing until he coughed. The man felt his face with his fingertips. "Have you gone blind up there?"

"Yes, actually," said the man, hands still tracing over his features as if to make a mental map of them. "Lost my good eye in Alamut shortly after you left. They did me the favor of removing the already sightless one as well. Who's with you?"

"Desmond—"

"Desmond!"

"Yeah, hello, how the hell are you alive?" said the man, who was immediately smacked upside the head. "Ouch!"

"The means by which I'm alive will be explained at a safer place than a rickety bridge. Is there anyone else with you?"

"Amir and two of our allies along with their child, both women, though one is dressed as a man." Badr's eyebrows rose over the blindfold he wore across his eyeless sockets, the veil coming down around his head. His hair was longer now, from what Lex could see beneath his hood, though his earrings and facial scars remained. If another had been added, the cloth over his eyes covered it as well. "Yeah, two women." Lex staggered as one of the dogs jumped up on him and lapped at his face before running over to Desmond and jamming its nose straight into his crotch, causing the descendant of Altair to let out a rather undignified squeal.

"Bourkan, enough!" snapped the desert Falcon, shaking his head. "Silly pup. Can you do nothing with him, Asad?" The other hound looked at him, a rope of drool falling from his mouth onto the wood beneath their feet. "I'm to assume that's a no." Badr folded his arms and leaned against his mount. He reached up and patted the mare's neck. "This is Ya Bint al Hawah the second."

"You're really gonna name your horse Fajera again?" Desmond muttered.

"And the mares after her."

"Where are your fellow travelers?" Mario interrupted, getting quickly to the matter at hand now that the reunion was ended.

"Mama!" Amir cried then, alerting them to the presence of the others as the Coal Tit barreled into Badr, almost knocking the man off his feet.

"Amir used glomp. It's super effective," Lex mumbled to himself, pocketing his hands. Nico and Maria looked at the man beside the one hugging the young boy.

"Signore Auditore." Nico bowed her head. "I trust we will not be imposing upon you to give us shelter?"

"Not at all, _signora_," said the man. "Where is your child?"

"On my wife's back. Her original bearer is a little preoccupied for the moment."

"Yes, I see." The Assassins looked at where Amir was wrapped around Badr. "Let us return to Monteriggioni. You must be wanting some rest."

The journey to Monteriggioni was blissfully uneventful, but for two stops for a quick Leap of Faith from the top of an old tower and at the gates of Firenze while the apothecaries took in the view of the city for a little bit. The rest of the ride was in silence, Amir wriggling in the saddle until he ran cheeping through the gates of the little village and over the rooftops toward the villa.

The other Assassins moved through the streets to the villa, mounting the steps and entering inside. The Sparrow moved upstairs and found a bed, lying in it as Amir ran down the hall and sat next to Ezio's praying mother. Mario returned to his office as Desmond spoke with Badr. Lex listened in as they passed.

Desmond was saying, "Do you know how to get us home?"

Badr responded, "I'm sorry, old friend, but if there is a way, I'm hindered now in finding it. Ask Amir." The barkeep's feet tramping up the stairs. A cheep. Then their voices were too low to hear, or he was too tired to listen properly.

The next few weeks were spent much as they had been in Masyaf, familiarizing themselves with their new surroundings. Only a few shops decorated the village along with a little church. The rest of the buildings were houses. A small mine was located nearby, though the time traveler and his brother weren't allowed to explore the shaft.

Neither, Badr added later when he caught them, could they see how far down the well went by lowering each other into it.

While Desmond spoke with Mario about getting home, Amir and Lex took to racing through and over the village, around it, and then taking to horseback to gallop through the hills. Anything to distract themselves from their worries. It was on one such race, the hooves of their horses pounding toward San Gimingano, that they saw Ezio riding down the track to meet them.

A rucksack was strapped to his back, the two noted as they moved through the streets. Desmond, finally roused from his napping place in the nearby hay bale, followed them into Mario's study. There they watched as Ezio moved to one side and slid open a door, which lead to a set of stairs.

"Are you coming, _amici_?" he asked, as if he waited on them. The group followed down the stairs and into a large, high ceilinged room.

"Welcome to the Sanctuary," said Ezio. "Statues of our Assassin ancestors reside here. On the—"

"Chronologically"—Amir pointed to the second man on the left—"Darius, first wielder of the hidden blade, Persian Assassin, slayer of Xerxes."

"The 300 guy?" Desmond and Lex squawked.

Not answering their question, Amir pointed to the second statue on the right, a woman, "Iltani, Babylonian Assassin. Poisoner of Alexander the Great."

"Babylonian?" Desmond mumbled.

"Iraq, Desmond, she's from Iraq. Baghdad," grumbled Lex.

"I know that!"

First man on the left of center: "Wei Yu. Chinese Assassin. Killer of Qin Shi Huang, the—"

"—first emperor of China." Desmond stared at Lex. "What? I took an art class or two."

First on the right: "Amunet, the Egyptian asp wielder. Killer of Cleopatra."

"So it wasn't suicide?" said Desmond, but again, the question was unanswered by the Coal Tit, who seemed in a trance.

"And the next?" Ezio prompted needlessly. Amir pointed, far right.

"Leonius, Roman Assassin. Slayer of the corrupt emperor Caligula."

"Y'know, people speculate he had lead poisoning and that led him to do most of the crazy shit he did," added Lex.

"Oh, really?" came from Desmond. "And what was the excuse for the rest of the stuff?"

"His grandpa was an insane pedophile who kept him locked on an island fortress for most of his life after having his father murdered."

"I shouldn't've asked."

Far left. "Qulan Gal the Mongolian. Slayer of Genghis Khan. Darim and Altair helped him bring down the warlord."

"And the man in the center?" asked Ezio. Amir jumped down from the small railing, prompting the others to follow him. Ezio went to one of the statues and placed a stone disk inside the plinth. The other stones in the other plinths then began to turn, the bars from before the last statue in the center rising up like a portcullis.

"Mama." The Assassins gazed up at the armored Altair, the two time travelers having never seen him dressed in such array. Ezio strode to the statue and stripped its armor, beginning to buckle it onto himself, along with a sword that rested before the statue's feet. Lex squinted, blinking as he saw a familiar, green stone around the statue's neck. No, not one stone. Two.

Moving up to the statue, he climbed up and reached around the Syrian man's neck, lifting the crystals from it. He gazed into the sightless stone eyes for a moment, shuddering at the thought that maybe, just maybe, bones lay beneath it. Bones of a long dead man. But no, no, that wasn't the Assassin way, to put a man's bones forever in stone like that, to make a display out of it.

Stepping down, he looked at Desmond. The Eaglet all but squealed and danced on the spot.

"Oh my God! Oh my God! Home! We can go home!"

"Yeah...yeah, we can go home," Lex mumbled. He stared at the crystal. "Well, you can go home."

"What do you mean?"

"I have to wait for Jameel."

"No."

"What?"

"We both go back. Same time. You know that. Two come, two go."

"But—"

"Look, he's fine back in our time, isn't he?"

"What are you two saying?" Ezio asked. The Assassins hadn't realized they'd fallen into English.

"They are looking to go home," said Amir, "as they must. They—we—have friends there. Allies."

"My uncle has not—"

"Mario does not yet know. We know. Trust me." Amir pressed his hand to his chest. "Go upstairs and speak to your mother and sister. They've missed you. I'll see them off."

The Assassins watched as Ezio headed back up the stairs. Amir looked toward the time travelers.

"You know how these crystals work."

"_Ahk—_" Lex started. Fingers pressed to his lips. The younger—older—one shook his head.

"_La._ Go home. He will come here in due course. Trust me. All will be well." Amir stepped back. "Now lie down, go to sleep, and dream of your own time."

The two men looked at one another before lying down on the cool stone floor and shutting their eyes. Once more, Lex focused on the present, on the strange Englishman, the room, the orange and white chair, Jameel and his laughter...

Italy  
2012

"Bloody hell, can't believe the match's..." Shaun stopped and looked toward the beds. Lex and Desmond lay there, Desmond on one, Lex curled up snugly in Jameel's arms, as if they'd never vanished into thin air before all their eyes to begin with. "What in the name of Satan's fucking knobcheese are you people doing just bloody apparating back here?!"

**Bismillah yjibek ya tult-il-bal. ****= Merciful and compassionate God give me patience.**

**Mashallah = Thank God**

**One chapter to go for RC! Thank you all for getting this far with us! :3 You lot keep reading and loving it, I'll keep writing. Oh, and please visit the tumblr thing of mine. I don't have much to go on it so far, but I'm hoping to make it full of stuff for you fans. :3**


	17. Chapter XVII

**Here we have the last chapter of Renaissance Creed. The story will continue in **_**The Brotherhood's Creed: Venimus**_**. The next part will be a three-parter with **_**Venimus **_**as part one. (Hint: If you can figure out what famous Roman quote I'm using, you'll know the titles to parts two and three.)**

**Also, for the fans who get bored with waiting for the next chapter and want more Assassin related things, feel free to look at my tumblr (the link is on my profile, just erase the spaces). It's got drawings, SPOILERS, and other information about the characters. Even an Ask the Characters portion for all those who have questions the stories have yet to answer.**

**Thanks to Smeggi and Tobi for the last two faves and all the other fans for following along. Lots of love. Okay, AN rant time over. Time for what you all really came here for. **

Italy  
2012

Desmond and Jameel explained what had happened to the others in another room. Back in the room with the Animus, which the others felt he was safe enough in alone, Lex rolled idly about in Shaun's desk chair, occasionally glancing at the maps, faces, and places he had posted up on his web board above the computer desk.

"You know, I like my chair in a certain place, mate." Lex turned toward Shaun. "It's not really that polite to just plop down and start rolling about. You'll mark up the floor and then Lucy will have both our arses, won't she? After all, this place's only a rental."

"I guess." Lex leaned forward, hands placed on the chair between his legs, feet propped up on the splayed feet of the chair now that he wasn't wheeling around the room. He stared at the floor, saying nothing. The Brit sighed and broke with his usual pleasant decorum to kneel in front of the other, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Look as if you've been through hell. Can I get you anything?" Lex looked at him. Shaun lifted a brow so that it rested above the frame of his glasses. "Tea? Cake? Coffee? Scones? Biscotti? Gelato? I've heard Turkish delight's stashed around here somewhere. And we can always steal a couple of Lucy's yogurts."

"Not hungry. Thanks, though."

"Suit yourself." He patted the younger man's shoulder and stood to leave the room again.

"Shaun?"

"You want that yogurt now?"

"No, but..." Shaun turned, folding his arms over his chest. Lex dragged his fingers through his hair, pressing his palms to his face. "You're good with your computers, right?"

"Bloody stupid of me to be the techno-wizard if I'm not, lad, but I'll bite. What's your real question?"

"Can you look up someone for me? On whatever databases you can access? Even just a Goddamned Google search would be awesome." Lex traded places with Shaun, letting the man roll up to his desk and begin typing.

"You can't access the Googleplex yourself?" Fingers flew across the keyboard, barely leaving it to move the mouse with the pad in the center of the laptop.

"Not like you probably can."

"I take your compliment and raise you the inserting of your query here, my timey-wimey comrade." Shaun looked at him expectantly. Lex thought for a moment.

"Can you look up a woman named Fiona MacManus?"

"Right. Right, now, that's _Mac_Manus, M-A-C?" He glanced at Lex, who nodded. "M-A-N-U-S?" A further nod. A few more keys were punched. "All right, let's sit back for a minute and let the magic work." Shaun stood and went to Rebecca's desk, rolling her chair over for Lex to have a seat. Returning to his own, he leaned forward and looked the smaller Assassin in the eye. "I'd like to know who you're having me search for. It's not often that I do this kind of thing for free, y'know."

"Not like I have the money to pay you."

"Oh, I'm sure your boyfriend might stick his wallet out for you, if not his neck. Do you want me to cancel the search? I'm curious now."

"My mother."

"Beg pardon?"

"She's my—" The two looked up at the screen as a small noise sounded from it. Shaun frowned, eyebrows pinching beneath his glasses as he moved forward again. He mumbled to himself under his breath, the words low enough and thick enough with an accent he couldn't quite identify that he didn't catch them.

Shaun sucked in and let out a harsh breath through his teeth, dropping back into his chair.

"Oh, no, no, no, no..."

"What?" Lex shuddered, feeling lightheaded as the blood drained from his face. "Shaun, what's wrong?" He moved toward the screen, but his way was blocked. "Shaun, let me see the computer." Once more, Shaun knelt, hands on both of the younger man's shoulders this time. Whether he was holding himself steady as he balanced on the balls of his feet, or holding him in place, Lex wasn't sure.

"She was one of us."

"An Assassin?"

"A new informant on the Templars."

"Really? That's awesome!"

"Darlin', shurrit." Lex obeyed, if only for being stunned at being called darling by the man and uncomprehending of the command to be silent. Shaun let out a long breath, shaking him lightly by the shoulders before drawing him close. "Was. She was one of us."

"What happened?"

"You don't want to know."

"Shaun. Tell me what happened."

"You don't want to see it."

"There's a video? Let me see it."

"You don't want to be living with that memory of your mother, mate, trust me."

"Damn it, Shaun, fucking lemme see it! Please! I don't have any memories of her, don't you get that? Let me see the feed! Please." Lex swallowed thickly, choking down the tears he felt in his eyes. "Please." Shaun sighed again, taking off his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Fine. Fine." He returned the spectacles to his face. "Be on your head." Lex moved to his seat and opened the file Shaun had closed.

A woman dressed in a hoodie, jeans, and white and black sneakers, which shone in the dim light on the video feed. She had something glowing in her hand. What it was, he couldn't make out on the grainy nighttime feed.

_Pop, pop, pop._ The woman slumped against the wall, the glowing object falling from her grip. Darker sections colored her light hoodie.

"Do you have the item?" asked a disembodied voice on the video.

"Affirmative," said one of the men with guns that strode into view, a hand pressed to his ear. "Item retrieved." He went to the woman and touched her neck. "She's dead." The image dissolved into a snowfield of static.

It took Shaun a half second to realize the odd, keening noise was coming from the younger man, who all but banged his head through the desk a moment later.

"Oi, oi, oi!" He jerked the teen up by the scruff of his shirt and pinned him against the chair back. "Bloody stupid thing t'do, en't it, daft sod? Lookit me!" He pushed Lex's hair back, inspecting the nice, new bruise on his head. "Have you gone mental? Taken leave of your fucking faculties, eh? I told you you shouldn't see it. Lookit yah, yer a sobbin' wreck..."

Lex choked as he heard this, realizing he was indeed sobbing his lungs into the man's sweater-vest, but only tightened the grip his arms had gained around his neck. "Easy now, mate, easy." He kissed the spot on his head, which was growing salty with sweat with each fresh round of tears pressed into his chest. He began to rock, slowly, sitting back on his heels until he was able to get his ass to navigate into the nearest wheelie chair without falling flat, drawing the smaller, sobbing form to him.

There he continued to rock, gently as he could, stroking the sweat-dampened hair back from the tear-streaked face.

Shaun finally looked up from Lex, who'd cried himself into a silent stupor, as footsteps sounded on the ramp up to the room, his neck popping nicely in the process. Jameel looked at the Sparrow, then at the man holding him and asked, "Is he asleep?"

"No, he's just been... What time is it?"

"Past your tea time."

"Go shag that Yank downstairs, you smarmy dickhead. Your boyfriend's been up here sobbing into my chest for..."—he managed to detach one of his stiff arms from around the other's body to look at his watch—"...two and a half glorious hours, and you decide to make a wise-crack about my beverage of choice?"

Jameel advanced on the man. Shaun moved back instinctively until he found himself pressed up against his desk. Jameel leaned forward, arms on either side of the Brit.

"Guys. Enough." The two looked down at the little ball of clothing huddled on Shaun's lap. "I'm still down here." Jameel knelt to be at eye level with his lover, pressing the Sparrow's cheek gently with his hand.

"What happened?" Lex shut his eyes, leaning his face into the Red Owl's palm. Bang, bang, bang. _That's what it should have sounded like. Instead of_ pop, pop, pop. That was too much like firecrackers. It shouldn't have sounded so...festive as the bullets pierced through his mother's body on the recording, now in his mind, replaying again and again.

"Don't want to talk about it yet."

"Well, did you find out anything from him?" came Lucy's voice from the ramp.

"Oh, no, I didn't really have time to ask him about Pieces of Eden while my head was almost chopped off!" Desmond snapped. Jameel shook his head and picked Lex up into his arms, carrying him to the beds in the back of the room.

"Are you two really going to sleep again? That can't be healthy," Rebecca quipped.

"Hey, little missus. Shut up," said Shaun, turning back toward his computer. Jameel glanced toward Lucy, who had moved to stand at the foot of the set of steps that led up to the bed area.

"Can you tell us anything you know about the Apple of Eden?"

"It's round and sparkles in the sunlight," Jameel muttered, whispering into Lex's hair, "Are you going to be all right?" The Sparrow nodded, settling his head on his Owl's chest. Couldn't the questions wait until later? "Look, if you want to really know about the Pieces of Eden, go look up—"

The alarms sounded.

"They're here!" Shaun yelled.

Everything became a flurry of motion. In the chaos of the three modern Assassins running about, gathering their equipment, Jameel looked at the Sparrow. Lex looked back at him, then at Desmond. The barkeep nodded, the time travelers racing down the ramp, outpacing Lucy as Jameel made his way after them, catching up in a few short strides.

Men in gray uniforms were racing through the building, collapsible batons springing into shape in their hands. Hidden blades were unsheathed and buried into unprotected backs, stomachs, and throats. Lucy brought a few men down with punches. Jameel leaped onto a man coming at her from behind, severing his spine with a quick jerk after he'd borne him to the ground. Desmond sent a fount of blood spilling from another man's neck. Lex looked up as he heard slow footfalls on the concrete, the easy tread of one in complete control.

The man from the Abstergo building in New York, the old man he'd seen walking there before finding Desmond, stood there. The Sparrow withdrew his blade from his last victim's chest.

"Mr. Miles, this is an unexpectedly pleasant turn of events!" he cried. The small Assassin felt his blood run cold. It was the disembodied voice from the video feed. "And here I thought I'd have to waste more men on you. Kind of you to save me the trouble."

Desmond and Lucy looked at the man as the barkeep demanded, "What do you want, Vidic?"

"For you to come home! We miss you terribly." Jameel looked toward Lex, unease creeping into his gut. His eyes were fixed ahead on the man in the lab coat and slacks. "There's still so much work for us to do together."

"It's not happening, Warren," said Lucy, face scrunched as she spat the man's name.

"You continue to disappoint in every conceivable way, Ms. Stillman." His tone took on a harsh bitterness. "I saved your life once. Do you remember? And _this_ is how you repay me?"

"Oh, shut the fuck up!" The three looked at Lex. "Enough villainous banter! If you're going to send more cannon fodder at us, just do it so we can kill them and you!" The man gave him a long, sideways look, skimming his eyes up and down the young man. Lex moved toward him, his second hidden blade sliding into view. "Otherwise, you and I need to have a little chat."

More men rushed onto the scene, as well as Shaun and Rebecca, who'd been busily stowing their things into their van. Desmond hurried forward with Jameel, the three ramming their blades into the men, slicing and stabbing. From the corner of his eye, the Red Owl caught Shaun backhanding one of the Templar henchmen with his own baton.

Lex stabbed two men through the middle who tried to rush him at once, looking up toward Vidic. Desmond was busily taunting the man with, "Uh-oh, looks like it's just you and me, doc." Vidic now stood in the back of a truck, what looked like a small moving van. _What the hell are you doing, Dessy? Kill him!_

"Enjoy your victory, Mr. Miles," said Vidic from his position in the truck, "temporary as it is." The truck rumbled to life. Vidic steadied himself on the side of the trailer bed's wall. _No, no, no, he's going to get away! What's the matter with you? Stop him! He's right there!_

"Fuck you and your insurmountable waist-high fence!" Desmond gagged as he was suddenly eating concrete, Lex having used his shoulder as a springboard to launch himself into the truck, tackling Vidic down. His hidden blade came down toward the old man's face.

Pain shot through his stomach and side as the Sparrow suddenly found himself bashed into the wall of the trailer across from where Vidic now sprawled. Groaning, he opened his eyes to a pair of black Chuck Taylors. A pale hand reached down, gripping his shirt and pulling him up off the floor. His middle screamed in protest, feet touching nothing but air and the wall. He tried to push against this, to knock this new attacker off balance, but this only earned him being slammed against the cold metal. His ears rang for a minute before a voice spoke in his ear.

It was a jarring accent to hear after so long away from the TV. Lex's mind immediately conjured images of Tony Soprano and _The Godfather_—a mobster accent for all his brain could manage to compute after the bashing his head had been given.

"As much as I appreciate the TV tropes reference and hate my boss, I can't let you kill him," said the man. Then, even more jarring than being tossed around like a rag-doll, his ear was bitten. Lex felt his breath catch in his chest, eyes widening. He strangled a whimper, unable to keep from trembling. "_Dio, voglio scoparti così male!_"

"Enough!" Vidic snapped, having finally found his feet again. "This isn't one of your video games. Kill him or give him over to me."

The blonde man—Lex now noticed the hair sticking from beneath the cap he wore, one of the flickering spots of brightness as they shot by streetlamps—shot a venomous glare over his shoulder at his employer and hissed, "_Taci, succhiacazzi vecchio!_" He returned his attention to Lex, forcing the Assassin around. The Sparrow flailed, his back and heels touched nothing but wind. He tried to find his attacker's eyes and found nothing but tinted lenses. "_Mi dispiace. Magari la promissa volta._" Lips crushed his for a second, a tongue scraping the roof of his mouth. "Mmmm. _Addio, mio bello. Mi mancherai._"

He gasped as the hands holding him up suddenly vanished, the world turning end over end before he finally rolled to a stop. Stinging pain lanced through his shoulders, arms, and legs. Skin was sure to have been scraped off. Lex stared up at the revolving sky, trying to find where his inner ear had gone as he rolled onto his forearms and knees. Small hisses of pain were ground out through his teeth as he stood up, only then the sound of a horn and the brightness of headlights reaching up.

"_Ya Allah!_" The scream tore itself from his lips as he froze, arms up in a pathetic attempt to shield himself. He didn't expect being run over to feel like being knocked to the ground for the umpteenth time that week. Then again, he'd never really been hit by a car before. Maybe that was what it was like.

"Well, that's one way t'try'n'hail a cab, laddie." He opened his eyes and looked up into a grinning face surrounded on either side by a curtain of dark brown hair. Sleeves of ink ran up the man's arms. The face, besides sporting a grin, also revealed rather tan features, three earrings in each of his rescuer's ears, a ring through his eyebrow, and a stud in his nose. "Dunnae make a habit of it, or yer wee brother'll have me head."

"My bro—Amir? you know Amir?"

"Sent me to save you. Looks as if he was right again." He sat up, onto his knees, revealing a green T-shirt with an image of the infamous Flying Spaghetti Monster emblazoned on the front and dirty blue jeans ripped nearly into shorts at the knee. He stood up on sandal-clad feet and stretched out his hand. Lex took it, allowing himself to be pulled up.

"Who are you?"

"Brian."

"You're an Assassin too?"

"It doesn't pay the rent, but I can tell you where your friends are." He pointed. Lex looked. Jameel and Desmond had just come from around a corner, spotted him, and were running over. He turned back to Brian, but the man was already gone.

"Are you all right?" Jameel asked breathlessly.

"I think I hallucinated a Pastafarian," admitted the Sparrow.

"A what?" Desmond gasped, panting heavily as if he'd run the enter way from the abandoned hide out.

"Never mind. Where to now?" Lex fell in step with them as they made their way back to the van that idled in an alleyway for them. Jameel smiled a fleeting, wistful smile as he lifted his bruised little bird into the back of the van.

"We're going to visit the home of our old Auditore friend."

Rome, Italy  
2012

The top of the bell tower of the Basilica di San Bartolomeo all'Isola provided a nice view to those seated upon it of the Tiber Island and the Roman city proper sprawled around them to the horizon's edges.

Brian took a seat and looked toward where the Vatican and its connected Castello lay, the city within the Eternal City.

"Did you find him?" asked the woman, his cousin, to his right.

"Aye. Saved him too."

"Good work," said the dark man behind her.

"_Merci boucoup, mon ami._" The Haitian smiled at the accented French.

"What of the others, cousin?" said the tall man directly behind him at the other corner of the roof.

"They're safe too."

"The Templars haven't gotten their hands on the item either," commented a new voice, one that sent shivers down Brian's spine. He looked toward the Jordanian sniper seated opposite his male cousin and flashed him a grin. "Vidic looked pissed from where I sat."

"Inconvenienced and annoyed, but he thinks he can still win. Thanks for loaning your eyes."

"Anytime."

"Now that we've gotten the congratulations out of the way, we have to decide something." The tattooed man looked toward the apex of the bell tower where a young boy sat with his arms and legs wrapped loosely around the spire of one of the church's two crosses. "What are we going to do about our mole?"

**Dio, voglio scoparti così male! = God, I want to fuck you so bad!**

**Taci, succhiacazzi vecchio! Mi dispiace. Magari la prossima volta. Addio, mio bello. ****Mi mancherai. = Be quiet, old cocksucker! I'm sorry. Maybe next time. Goodbye, my beautiful boy. I'll miss you.**

**Merci boucoup, mon ami. = Thank you very much, my friend.**

**Thank you for sticking with the story for this long, everybody. Hopefully you'll enjoy the next part and time will allow for writing it. You keep reading, I'll keep writing. ~ 3 **


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